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THE PARISH OF SPYNTE. 





THE 


PARISH OF SPYNIE, 

IN THE 

COUNTY OF ELGIN, 

AN ACCOUNT OF 


ITS CIVIL AND ECCLESIASTICAL STATE, FROM THE EARLIEST RECORDED 

PERIOD TO THE PRESENT TIME, * 


WITH NOTES ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE SUBJECT. 


By ROBERT YOUNG. 


-> * 
> j > 


ELGIN: 

PRINTED AT THE COURANT OFFICE, 

BY JAMES BLACK. 


1871 . 






PREFACE. 


The Parish of Spynie, although small in 
extent, is of considerable importance from 
its locality, and has acquired a name from 
being the seat of the powerful Bishops of 
Moray for a period of 500 years. No place 
could have been better chosen for the Epis¬ 
copal residence than the one fixed upon, close 
to the margin of an arm of the sea; after¬ 
wards converted, by the action of the tidal 
waters, into a beautiful inland lake. It is 
said to have been the finest Episcopal Palace 
in Scotland, and, from its extensive and 
beautiful ruins, it well supports the character. 
The site is lofty, and commands an extensive 
prospect of land and sea. The house com¬ 
bined the strength of a fortress with the 
conveniences of a private dwelling. 


VI. 


PREFACE. 


The parish was formerly bounded on the 
north nearly in its whole length by the lake, 
which formed a most picturesque object. 
The drainage of this fine sheet of water has 
altered entirely the aspect of the country in 
this direction, and it will take many years 
before agricultural improvements can be 
brought to bear upon the drained land, so as 
to remove the marshy appearance of the 
ground. What it has lost in beauty perhaps 
has been gained by improvement to land, 
much of the soil on the borders of the lake 
being formerly so wet as to be incapable of 
growing crops of any kind. The health of 
the inhabitants has also derived much bene¬ 
fit, fever and ague, formerly so common, 
having now disappeared. 

After the Revolution of 1688, when the 
Bishops, by the progress of events, were com¬ 
pelled to leave the district, and finally to 
retire from their magnificent residence, the 
country suffered much from the change : 
agriculture languished, population decreased, 
and the parish, for great part of last century, 
was in a very declining state. It was only 
towards the close of it that affairs began to 


PREFACE. 


Vll. 


brighten, blit the progress was then rapid. 
Improvements in agriculture commenced, en¬ 
closures were made, extensive plantations 
carried out, new farm houses with suitable 
steadings erected, and drainage executed. 
These have been continued without interrup¬ 
tion to the present day. The southern part 
of the parish, looking towards Elgin, has 
become part of the Parliamentary Burgh, 
and the high ground at Bishopmill has been 
covered within a few years with handsome 
villas, which are constantly extending. 

Some time ago I was requested by a re¬ 
spected friend to write an account of the 
Parish of Spynie. Having resided there for 
a period of nearly a quarter of a century, I 
was well inclined to take up the subject, but 
materials appeared very scanty. Having, 
however, made a commencement, information 
flowed in from various quarters in an un¬ 
looked for manner, and the work has grown 
upon my hands until it has assumed the 
proportions of a moderately-sized volume. 
Having been composed at intervals, when 
not engaged in more laborious duties, I fear 
it will be found by competent judges very 


Vlll. 


PREFACE. 


disjointed and ill-arranged. I pretend to no 
skill in composition ; but I hope the facts 
stated may be found tolerably correct : I 
have been anxious to make them so. I do 
not profess that it is anything beyond a mere 
compilation, and to many little new may be 
found in these pages—indeed, from the very 
limited extent of the locality, it can only be 
interesting to a very few persons. It is to 
be hoped, however, that part of the informa¬ 
tion may be useful to some more able gleaner 
in the same field of enquiry. As I have, in 
the course of my remarks, referred to parties 
still alive, I have endeavoured to avoid giv¬ 
ing any cause of offence to them, and I trust 
have stated nothing that would hurt the 
feelings of the most delicate. If it prove 
otherwise, I shall regret it much. 

I have to express my grateful acknowledg¬ 
ments to Lady Gordon-Cumming of Altyre, 
for the use of various valuable documents, 
including a fine old map of the Loch of 
Spynie, and other papers relating to the his¬ 
tory of the lake. Her Ladyship has at all 
times very kindly permitted me to have free 
access to the extensive and important collec- 


PREFACE. 


IX. 


tion of manuscripts at Gordon stown House, 
and I have printed from that source, in the 
Notes appended, the Crown Charter by King 
James III., in favour of James Douglas of 
Pittendriech, dated in 1472. 

I have also to thank Captain Dunbar 
Dunbar of Seapark for a variety of papers 
relating to the Estates of Gordonstown, Kin- 
neddar, and Pitgaveny, and to the Regality 
of Spynie, &c., which I have also printed. 
The Rev. Dr. Kyd, Minister of the Parish, 
has allowed me to have the use of the Session 
Records extending back to the early part of 
last century, for which, and much other 
valuable information, I have to tender him 
my best thanks. 

If I have in some instances ventured to 
differ from preceding writers, it has been 
after careful investigation, and often with 
much hesitation and doubt, that I have 
stated my views in opposition to theirs. 

ROBt. YOUNG. 


Millbank, Elgin, 20 th March , 1871. 































11^1 













. 
















































CONTENTS. 


PARISH OF SPYNIE—General Description, 

LOCH OF SPYNIE,. 

STATE OF PROPERTY,. 

Spynie, .... ...... 

Myreside, ......... 

Findrassie, ......... 

Quarrelwood, now called Quarrywood, .... 

Westfield, ......... 

Bishopmill, ......... 

Morriston, ......... 

Burgh Briggs, ........ 

Sheriffmill, ......... 

Aldroughty, ......... 

THE PALACE OF SPYNIE, .. 

THE REGALITY OF SPYNIE,. 

PARISH CHURCH OF SPYNIE,. 

PARISH SCHOOL,. 

TOWNS AND VILLAGES,. 

ROADS, BRIDGES, &c.,. 

WOODS AND PLANTATIONS, . . 

QUARRIES,. 

ANTIQUITIES,. 

THE POOR,. 

POPULATION,. 

GENERAL REMARKS, on the Original Population, the 
Changes which have taken place, and the Progress of the 
District, ......... 

NOTE,. 


PAGES 

1-4 

5-36 

37-120 

38-49 

49-53 

53-61 

62-71 

72-79 

80-84 

85-100 

100-104 

105-111 

112-120 

121-128 

129-132 

133-141 

142-144 

145-152 

153-157 

158-163 

164-166 

167-169 

170-174 

175-177 


178-196 

199 








Xll. 


CONTENTS. 


NOTES: 


Containing Charters , <&c., <&c., relating to the Parish of Spynie. 


I.—CHURCH OF KINTRAE,. 

II.—LOCH OF SPYNIE,. 

1. Contract anent the Drowned Lands and Makking 

of Dykkis—1599, ...... 

2. David Anderson, Engineer, and his Descendants, . 

3. Gordons of Gordonstown, ..... 

Drainie, ........ 

Names of the Inneses of Drainie, 

Salterhill, ....... 

Ettles and Covesea, .... . . 

Names of the Inneses of Pethnick, . 

King’s Third of Duffus, ..... 

Ogston and Plewland—Inventory of Titles of 
Gordonstown Estate ; Church of Ogston ; 
Mural Tablet to the memory of the Gordon 
Family, ....... 

4. Sutherland of Duffus, and Dunbar of Thunderton 

and Duffus, ....... 

5. The Estate of Pitgaveny, ..... 

6. Contract to prevent the River Lossie from damag¬ 

ing Lands near Loch Spynie—1706, 

III. —ESTATE OF SPYNIE,. 

1. Memoriall relative to the Barrony of Spynie—1782, 

2. Lord Spynie—Traditional Story and Ballad, . 

3. Family of Brodie of that Ilk, .... 

IV. — MYRESIDE,. 

1. Earl of Findlater, ...... 

2. Excerpt from Mr. Isaac Forsyth’s contribution to 

the Farmers’ Magazine , &c., .... 

V.—FINDRASSIE,. 

Leslie of Findrassie, ....... 

The First Four Lairds of Findrassie, 

VI.—QUARRELWOOD— 

Family of Duff,. 

VII. —WESTFIELD— 

Family of Dunbar, ...... 


PAGES 

203-205 

206-229 

206-208 

209-211 

212-222 

212 

212 

213 

213 

214 
214 


215-222 

222- 223 

223- 227 

227-229 

230-246 

230-232 

233-238 

238-246 

247-252 

247-250 

250-252 

253- 261 

254- 259 
259-261 

262-277 

278-285 



CONTENTS. 


• • • 


VIII. —BISHOPMILL— 

Extract Registered Contract of Marriage betwixt Mr. 
Alexander Dunbar of West Grange, and Catha¬ 
rine Reid, his spouse,. 

IX.—MORRISTON,. 

1. Progress of Martine of Harwood’s Estate, in the 

Shire of Murray, ...... 

2. Gift from the Crown of the Forfeited Estate of 

Morriston to Mrs. Martin—1686, 

X. —AUCHTERSPYNIE, OR SHERIFFMILL, . 

1. Charter for the Site of a Mill at Uchterspyny, 

2. Charter of Third Part of Duffus, and of the Third 

of the Mill of Sheriffmill, .... 

3. Disposition of do. do., 

4. The Family of Calder of Sheriffmill and Muirton, 

XI. -ALDROUGHTY,. 

1. Inquisitio Super Terris de Aldrochty—1393, . 

2. Claim in favour of William Duff of Dipple before 

the Commissioners for Forfeited Estates—1717, 

XII.—PALACE OF SPYNIE AND BISHOPS, 

1. Romish Bishops of the See of Moray, . 

2. Protestant Bishops, ...... 

3. The Disestablishment Bishops, .... 

XIII. —REGALITY OF SPYNIE- 

1. Charter of Erection of Spynie into a Regality—1452, 

2. Deed of Conveyance of Regality of Spynie by Duke 

of Gordon to Archibald Dunbar of Tliunderton, 

3. Administration of Justice in the Court of the Re¬ 

gality of Spynie ; Acquittal of Alexander Man, 
accused of murder, and Execution of William 
Chayne (“ ane commoun theife and vagaband”), 
accused of theft, ...... 

XIV. —PARISH CHURCH OF SPYNIE— 

Parish Ministers of Spynie, ..... 
Note relative to late Rev. Mr. Cannan of Spynie, 

XV. —VALUATION OF LANDS IN THE PARISH OF 

SPYNIE,. 

Valuation in 1667, ... .... 

Valuation of Spynie in 1744, with Proprietors’ names, 
Valuation of the Parish—1870-71, 

XVI.—SPYNIE BURIAL GROUND, .... 
Leslies of Findrassie,....... 


Xlll. 

PAGES 


286-288 

289-296 

289-294 

294-296 

297-308 

297- 298 

298- 300 
301-304 
305-308 
309-311 

309- 310 

310- 311 
312-327 
314-320 
320-324 
324-327 

328- 329 

329- 333 


334-338 

339-340 

341 

342-349 

342 

343 

344-349 

350 

351-352 


XIV. 


CONTENTS. 


Mon ament to Memory of Rev. Samuel Tulloh, Mini¬ 
ster of Spynie—1660-1706, .... 

Monument to Memory of Rev. Robert Tulloh, and of 
his Wife and Family, ..... 

Monument to Memory of Rev. Alexander Brown, 
Minister of Spynie, 1793-1814, and of his Wife 
and Infant Daughter, ..... 

Monument to Memory of Rev. George Machardy, 
Minister of Spynie, 1817, .... 

Monument to Memory of late William Turnbull, Esq., 
Surgeon, H.E.I.C.S., Aldroughty, . 

Monument to Memory of Katharine King, Wife of 
Rev. William Dougall, Minister of Spynie, 
1754, and of her daughter, Elizabeth ; also of 
the said Rev. William Dougall—1766, 
Monument to Memory of Rev. Robert Paterson, 
Minister of Spynie, 1790, and of his son, Alex¬ 
ander Paterson, ...... 

Monument to Memory of Margaret Collie, wife of 
Mr. Robert Paterson, Minister of Spynie, 1782, 
Monument erected by the Rev. James Paterson, 
Minister of Birnie, in memory of his Brothers ; 
also, of the said Rev. James Paterson, 
Monument to Memory of Rev. John Paterson, Mini¬ 
ster at Auldearn from 1794 till 1813, and of his 
Sister, Helen Paterson, wife of the Rev. Thos. 
Macfarlane, Minister of Edinkillie, 1810, 
Monument to Memory of Rev. Hugh Anderson, 
Minister of Drainie, and his Wife ; also of the 
Rev. William Collie, his immediate successor, . 
Monument to Memory of John M‘Kimmie, Esquire, 
Provost of Elgin, ...... 

Monument erected by Archibald Mellis, Farmer in 
Kintrae, in Memory of his Wife and Family, . 
Monument to Memory of Elizabeth Patullo, wife of 
Alexander Simpson, Minister of Spynie, 1848 ; 
also of the said Rev. Alexander Simpson, 1826- 
1852, .... .... 


PAGES 

353 

353 

353 

353 

354 


354 

354-355 

355 

355 


355-356 

356 

356 

356 


357 


THE PARISH OF SPYNIE. 


The Parish of Spynie is situated in the very heart of 
the Lowlands of Moray. According to the late Ord¬ 
nance Survey, it extends in length from west to east 
five miles and one furlong; its greatest width at the 
west end is two miles seven furlongs, in the centre 
opposite Elgin one mile five and a-half furlongs, at 
the east end opposite St. Andrew’s Parish the width 
diminishes to five furlongs. It is bounded at the 
west by the Parish of Alves, on the north by Drainy 
and Duflus, on the south by Elgin and part of St. 
Andrew’s Parishes, and on the east by St. Andrew’s, 
into which latter parish it runs into a point at the 
extremity of the farm of Spynie; towards the Parish 
of Elgin it is mostly bounded by the River Lossie, 
except at the part opposite Elgin, where it crosses 
the river, and embraces the valuable ground of 
Burgh Briggs, and perhaps also Harvey’s Haugh, the 
reason of which is that the Lossie formerly ran in a 


A 




2 


THE PARISH OF SPYNIE. 


different course from what it now does, having in 
ancient times occupied a more southerly bed. It then 
left its present channel at Blackfriars’ Haugh, exactly 
where Mr. Grigor’s house now stands, and flowed 
easterly towards the end of North Street, near the 
site of the Episcopal Chapel, from thence towards 
Mr. Culbard’s Tanworks, and still a little eastward, 
when the river seems to have turned to its present 
channel. Mr. Grigor’s ground used to be called the 
Bulwark, indicating that the river had at that 
points been forced from its ancient bed. At what 
period this took place probably cannot be exactly 
ascertained, but there may have been two objects to 
gain by it—first, the drainage of the valuable ground 
of Burgh Briggs, and, second, the creating a dam and 
suitable fall of water for the Mill of Bishopmill. In 
other respects the Lossie forms the boundary be¬ 
tween the parishes of Elgin and Spynie westward 
to Aldroughty, where the line runs into the Moss- 
towie Canal, in which it continues until it takes a 
zig-zag line towards the Knock of Alves, at the east 
end of which the Parish of Spynie terminates. 

The parish has lost much of its picturesque 
beauty at the north side by the complete drainage 
of.the Loch of Spynie, which, when full of water, 
must have been a very beautiful object; still it has a 
great variety of scenery, more so than most Lowland 
Parishes can boast of. On the north side, from Spynie 



THE PARISH OF SPYNIE. 


3 


at the east, to Rosehaugh and Westfield at the west, 
it has a succession of most valuable estates, con¬ 
taining tracts of very rich land. In the centre it 
is diversified by a high ridge of land, containing 
extensive plantations of fir, oak, and larch woods, 
great part of full growth and maturity, and of much 
value, through which there are roads and walks in 
all directions, and many pleasant, romantic, sylvan 
retreats. On the south side, although the soil is not 
so rich, yet the land is warm, sunny, and kindly, and, 
with the shelter of the high ground and woods 
behind, and the Lossie running in front, no more 
pleasant district can be found than the range of 
country extending from Bishopmill to Aldroughty. 
Perhaps no parish in the County of Elgin has been 
more improved than this, by draining, enclosing, and 
planting. It has also been the residence for many 
generations of proprietors, both lay and ecclesiastical, 
men of high talent and enterprise in their day, of 
whom it may be desirable to take some notice in 
these pages. 

It would seem that in former ages there had been 
a Church at Kintrae as well as at Spynie. The 
Church of Kintrae is mentioned in various writs— 
we may notice two—first, Constitution of Andrew 
Bishop of Moray, in which he refers to “Ecclesiam de 
Kintrciy ,” second, Deed of Foundation of a Chaplainry 
in the Castle of Duffiis, in favour of Hugh de Moravia 


Chartulary of 
Moray, pages 
94 , 273 . 



4 


THE PARISH OF SPYNIE. 


Lord of Duffus, by Bricius Bishop of Moray. In this 
deed the following sentence occurs :—“Assignamus 
“ eidem Capelle omnes decimas garbarum de terra 
“ quse dicitur Aldetoun quae est inter veterem 
“ ecclesiam de Kyntra scilicet a Langaphage per 
“ sicum qui vadit ex aquilonali parte de le Brin- 
“ hill usque ad maresium quod, est inter veterem 
“ ecclesiam et le Aldeton, et sicut maresium illud 
“ vadit usque ad Blynd Wollis et ita usque ad 
“ novum fossatum, et per novum fossatum usque ad 
“ viam quae vadit de veteri ecclesia de Kyntra , usque 
“ ad castellum.” In this last document, which is 
dated in the beginning of the 13th century, the 
Church of Kintrae is three times stated to be old; 
it may therefore be presumed that it was not a 
Parish Church, but very probably an ancient preach¬ 
ing station of the Culdees. I do not find evidence 
of its being used as a place of worship in after 
ages, although it would have been convenient for the 
west end of the parish: perhaps the foundation of 
the Chapel of Duffus, being in the near neighbour¬ 
hood, superseded it. It is stated that some remains 
of this old Church, or of a burying-ground in con¬ 
nection with it, continued to exist until within 
the last forty or fifty years. 



LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


The Loch of Spynie, the grand feature of the parish 
in former times, although now entirely gone, is well 
deserving of a few passing remarks—indeed, there is 
a mystery and romance about its changing history. 
The appearance of the country as well as tradition 
lead to the conjecture that within the historical 
period the sea extended from Burghead on the west 
to Lossiemouth on the east. The coast of the 
Moray Firth, now so sandy, was then formed of 
alluvial mud, hi which the oyster flourished and 
abounded. At what period the change took place, 
and the great inundation of sand occurred, it is 
difficult even to form a conjecture; it may have 
been in the 11th century, as some of our histo¬ 
rians state, or earlier. When the Danes occupied 
Burghead, in the beginning of the 11th century, 
tradition states that there was an inlet of the sea 
extending to Boseisle, which, being then a forest, the 
invaders built vessels at, and compelled the inhabi¬ 
tants to assist them in them labours. If this inlet 
then existed it probably was in some degree closed 
up by the inundation of sand which took place at 
the close of this century. When the loch was shut 



6 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


at the west, and the current of the sea ceased to 
flow through it, the bed of it would have a tendency 
to get more shallow, and gradually to silt up. In 
these times the River Spey flowed more westerly 
than now, and brought to the westward quantities of 
gravel, to which we owe the immense ridges of 
water-worn stones that occur near Lossiemouth. 
Tradition states that the River Findhom flowed at 
one period eastward to the Loch of Spynie, perhaps 
the same inundation of sand which closed the mouth 
of the inlet at Burghead might also have forced the 
Findhom into a different channel. The name of 
Earnside, in the parish of Alves, certainly indicates 
that the river was there, and flowed eastward. 
That the loch continued an arm of the sea down to 
the time of Bishop Alexander Bar, who died in 1397, 
is proved from the Chartulary of Moray, wherein it 
is stated that Spynie was a town and harbour, inha¬ 
bited by fishermen, who sailed from Spynie to the 
see chartuiary, sea, and that boats and nets were kept by the Bishop 

page 192. # # . 

in the lake for catching salmon, grilses, and other 
fish, and that he and his predecessors had exercised 
all acts of navigation therein. In the year 1451, 
the Town of Spynie was erected into a Burgh of 
Barony, and, among other privileges, “with power 
“ and liberty of having and holding fishermen there- 
“ in,” and in the following year the Barony was 
erected into a Regality, with right “of harbour and 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


7 


passages.” It may be presumed, therefore, that the 
lake was still connected with the sea at that period; 
it was, however, closing up gradually at the mouth, 
and the flow of the tide getting more feeble. Three 
Scottish historians take notice of the Loch of Spynie, 
viz. :—Hector Boece, Hollinshead, and John Leslie, 
Bishop of Boss. Hollinshead is merely a translator 
of Boece, and professes to be nothing else. Boece 
was a native of Forfarshire, and born in 1465. His 
history of Scotland was published at Paris in 1526; 
it contains the following remarks regarding the loch; 
we quote from Hollinshead’s translation:—“In this 
“ region, moreover, is a lake named Spiney, wherein 
“ is exceeding plentie of swans. The cause of their 
“ increase in this place is ascribed to a certeine 
“ herbe, which groweth there in great abundance, 
“ and whose seed is verie pleasant unto the said 
“ foule in the eating, wherefore they call it swangirs; 
“ and hereunto such is the nature of the same, that 
“ where it is once soune or planted it will never be 
“ destroied, as may be proved by experience. For 
“ albeit that this lake be five miles in length, and 
“ was sometime within the remembrance of man 
“ verie well-stocked with salmon and other fish, yet 
“ after that this herbe began to multiplie upon the 
“ same, it became so shallow that one may now wade 
“ through the greatest part thereof, by means where- 
“ of all the great fishes there be utterlie consumed.” 



8 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


Leslie’s His¬ 
tory, edition 
1695, page 27. 


It is quite possible, indeed very probable, that Boece 
himself, who was educated at Aberdeen, may have 
seen the lake open to the sea. Leslie, whose history 
of Scotland was published at Borne in the year 1578, 
also refers to the loch as having been, at no distant 
date, stocked with salmon. He writes as follows:— 
“ Lacum praeterea dulcis aquae Spynam nomine, olori- 
“ bus quidem multtim frequentem Moravia habet, in 
“ quo herba quaedam rara est, qua quod oleres im- 
“ pense delectantur, olorinam earn dicimus, ea utique 
“ hujus naturae est, ut ubi semel radices egerit, tarn 
“ late se diffundat, ut nostra memoria quinque ipsius 
“ Spynae milharia, ubi prius salmones exundabant 
“ radice sua altius evecta penitus vadosum jam 
“ effecerit. Ad hujus ripam Moravio Episcopo erec- 
“ turn est Castrum simul et Palatium pulcherrimum.” 
From these authorities it would seem probable that 
the lake was open to the sea till the close of the 
15th century. 

When the lake became shallower, and unfitted 
for navigation, it would become an object to the 
Bishops, its then almost sole proprietors, to exclude 
the sea entirely, reduce its waters, and attempt 
to gain land by drainage. Art may have there¬ 
fore assisted nature to convert the shallow arm of 
the sea into a fresh water lake. We have reason to 
think that this drainage was not attempted before 
the year 1480, or it may be 1500. What steps 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


9 


were taken are not well known. The natural drainage 
was by means of the River Lossie, which then flowed 
through the lake, and perhaps amounted to little 
more than deepening the bed of the river, and 
increasing the current with some lateral drains. 
The increase in the flow of the stream would have a 
tendency to lower the bed of the lake, and all that 
would have been required to keep the drainage open 
would have been constant attention to prevent 
the channel from silting up, which it would be 
liable to do after every flood. The Bishops cer¬ 
tainly did attend to the drainage, and there can 
be no doubt that at this period the bed of the lake 
was considerably lowered, and much arable ground 
gained. It was at this period that a foot-path was 
made across the lake at its upper end, from the lower 
part of the lands of Kintrae to North Crookmoor. 
This was formed by placing large blocks of stone in 
the water, with flat pavement on the top, so as to 
make a continuous walk, the water running below. 
This walk was known by the name of the Long 
Steps, and was strongly and very substantially built, 
and continued to exist until the end of last century, 
although hidden for a long time when the loch, 
through neglect, was allowed to increase in size. 
These steps were used as a passage for foot passen¬ 
gers in the public road from Elgin to Covesea. 

It would appear that the drainage was pretty 


10 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


well kept up during the greater part of the 16th 
century. The Reformation, however, which occurred 
in 1560, and the death of Bishop Patrick Hepburn, 
the last of the Popish prelates, in 1573, put an end 
to the active superintendence which the Bishops 

kept over the lake and its drainage. Whatever 

/ 

were the faults of Patrick Hepburn (and they were 
many), attending to his own temporal interest was 
not one of them, and during his life he looked well 
after the business affairs of the diocese, and con¬ 
tinued to manage them as if they had been his own, 
and disposed of its lands at his own pleasure, in 
defiance of the Reformation, and without challenge, 
up to the period of his death, a fact which shows 
that the disestablishment of the Romish Church was 
not followed by its immediate disendowment. After 
the Bishop’s death the temporalities of the diocese, 
in so far as not dilapidated, fell to the Crown, and 
in the year 1590 were conferred by King James VI. 
on Alexander Lindsay, son of the Earl of Crauford, 
who was then created Lord Spynie, and who held 
them up to the year 1606. Lord Spynie, however, 
did not live at the Palace of Spynie, and never had 
much connection with the North, and, during the 
time the Crown and he possessed the lands, every¬ 
thing seems to have gone to ruin, and the loch with 
its drainage was perfectly neglected, so much so that 
the lands formerly recovered, and in cultivation, were 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


11 


again submerged by the waters. This was so much 
the case that in the year 1599 William Sutherland 
of Duffus, and Archibald Douglas of Pittendriech, 
then proprietor of the estate of Pitgaveny, entered 
into a contract, the tenor of which bears—“For sa 
“ meikill as ye Loche of Spyne hes ourflowd ane 
“ pairt of ye tounes of Salcottes, Cruikmures, and 
“ Kirktoun of Duffus, and yt ye said loche, sua far 
“ as men can persaiv, is like to droun mekell mair of 
“ ye Landis and Barony of Duffus nor is allreddie 
“ drounit, and yat ye said drounit lands cannot be 
“ maid dry, and ye Loche of Spyne stoppit fra 
“ doing of gretar harme to ye saidis lands, except 
“ ye Laird of Pettindryt his landis of ye Barony of 
“ Kilmalemnok be cuttit and tirrit for makking of 
“ dykkis till outhald ye ivatter of Lossie from ye said 
“ Loche of Spyne , and dimming of sundrie of ye said 
“ Archibald his landis.” Therefore the said Laird of 
Duffus, in consequence of the Laird of Pittendriech 
binding himself to execute the necessary works, 
agreed to convey to him certain portions of land, as 
a recompence for his trouble and outlay. This is the 
first notice we find of an attempt to exclude the 
water of the Lossie from the loch. It is likely it 
was getting very troublesome, bringing down, in the 
time of flood, large quantities of sand and gravel, 
filling up the channel, and making the water regorge 
on the arable land. To what extent the Laird of 



12 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


Pittendriech succeeded in fulfilling his part of the 
contract is not known. From want of skill and proper 
engineering there is no doubt but he was unsuccess¬ 
ful, and it is certain that the Lossie was not at this 
time excluded from the lake. 

In the year 1606 Episcopacy was restored in 
Scotland, and Alexander Douglas, minister at Elgin, 
was appointed Bishop of Moray. He seems to have 
been a good and able man, and the temporal lands of 
the diocese being restored to him, so far as they 
remained after the great dilapidation of the previous 
century, he would naturally be anxious for their 
improvement. He held considerable lands, either in 
property or superiority, upon both sides of the loch. 
At this time the Lossie, after having its course much 
in its present channel, past St. Andrew’s, Pitgaveny, 
and the Carse of Leuchars, made a sharp bend to 
the north-west, and entered the lake above Kay’s 
Briggs. At what point the river made its exit from 
the loch again is not very apparent, and the country 
there is so much changed by sand blowing, which 
has since occurred, that the old channel has been 
dried up. It probably, however, then entered the sea 
considerably to the eastward of its present mouth. 
It was now resolved by the Bishop and other proprie¬ 
tors to make a serious attempt to improve the drain¬ 
age, and about the year 1609 they called into their 
counsel David Anderson of Finzeach, Burgess of 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


13 


Aberdeen, a man of great genius, and one of the 
most skilful engineers of his time. Mr. Anderson 
wrote various letters on the subject after visiting the 
loch (and which were not long ago in possession of a 
respected gentleman in Morayshire), giving his advice 
as to what should be done; and it appears he recom¬ 
mended that the Lossie should be excluded entirely 
from the lake, and turned into a new channel, and 
that the water should be regulated and kept as 
far as possible on an equal level by drains carried 
from the loch into the river. It was certainly at this 
time that the embankment at Kay’s Briggs for 
excluding the Lossie from the loch was made, and 
two drains, varying from six to fourteen feet wide 
each, and four or live in depth, were carried three 
hundred yards or thereby into the loch, and from 
thence to the river, the two drains running into one 
before joining the Lossie. Eventually the road to 
Lossiemouth was carried in this direction, and 
a bridge erected over the runlets of the drains. 
That the river was excluded from the loch about this 
time is proved by Gordon of Straloch’s map of 
Morayshire, published in 1640, which shows the 
river running in its own channel, quite clear of the 
loch, and much in its present course. 

On the 20th October, 1636, Sir Bobert Gordon, 
son of Alexander Earl of Sutherland, purchased 
from Bobert Innes of Drainie the lands ot Drainie 


14 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


and Salterhill, and on the 11th November, same 
year, obtained a charter of resignation and novo 
damns from John Guthrie Bishop of Moray, the 
superior, of “All and haill the lands of Meikle 
“ Drainy, with the pertinents; all and haill the lands 
“ of Newton, the lands of Ardivot, Muirton, and 
“ Whiteley; and all and haill the lands of Salter- 
“ hill, otherwise called Little Drainie, with all and 
“ singular parts, pendicles, and pertinents, together 
“ ivith the passage or ferry-boat in the Loch of 
“ Spynie , ivith the privileges , liberties , profits , and 
“ duties of the same —all lying in the Barony of 
“ Kinneddar, Legality of Spynie, and Shire of Elgin 
“ and Forres.” We refer to this more particularly, 
because under that charter a claim was eventually 
made by the Gordonstown family to the whole solum 
of the loch. In the year 1699 Sir Bobert Gordon, 
the third Baronet of Gordonstown, procured a crown 
charter, wherein, after narrating the Lands and 
Barony of Gordonstown, is the following clause:— 
“ Et omnes et singulas terras de Salterhill, alias 
“ vocat Little Drainy, cum pertinen earund cum 
“ cymba transportaria super Lacum de Spynie et 
“ privilegiis et portinen ejusd.” 

During the 17th century little progress was made 
in improvement. More particularly during the fifty 
years between 1638 and 1688 was this the case. It 
was a period of civil and religious strife. Sometimes 




THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


15 


the Presbyterian party had the upper hand, and at 
another the Episcopalian party. Neither understood 
the principles of civil or religious liberty,* and, as 
the great satirical poet of that day well expresses, it 
was a time— 


“ When civil dudgeon first grew high, 

“ And men fell out they knew not why, 

“ When hard words, jealousies, and fears, 
“ Set folks together by the ears.” 


Morayshire had its full share of this strife. The 
families of Brodie and Innes strongly embraced the 
popular side, the Earl of Moray and Lord Duffus the 
opposite one, the Gordons of Gordonstown, with 
proverbial caution, committed themselves to neither 
party. These being the proprietors almost entirely 
connected with the Loch of Spynie at this period, 
they did not, of course, draw much together, and, 
except a little clearing of the old drains at Kay’s 
Briggs by the tenantry for self-preservation, it is 
believed nothing was done during the middle and 
latter part of this century to prevent the accumu¬ 
lating of the waters. At length the Revolution of 


* Although neither party understood the principles of liberty, 
it is perfectly clear that the struggles of the Covenanting party in 
the end brought civil and religious freedom, which, without their 
aid, would have ended in an arbitrary Government both in 
England and Scotland. 




16 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


1688 came, and men, delivered from the dangers of 
tyranny and oppression, had leisure to direct their 
attention to their own affairs, and to improvements 
which had long been neglected; but there was so 
much to do, and the country was so impoverished by 
half a-century of troubles and anxieties that it was 
only by slow degrees that the revival came. 

In the autumn of 1694, and spring of 1695, 
Morayshire was visited with a terrible calamity. 
The coast of the firth had been long covered with 
sand, which the current of the tides carried west¬ 
ward, and threw up into large hills between Nairn 
and Forres, where it got perfectly dry. Public 
attention had not hitherto been much attracted to 
this process of nature, but the high winds of these 
and subsequent years forced the sand eastward, and 
dissipated it over the rich Barony of Culbin, to its 
almost total destruction; the river Findhorn was 
choked up, and forced into a new channel, the sand 
crossed that river and blew eastward to Burghead, 
Boseisle, Inverugie, and Stotfield, crossed the Lossie, 
and desolated the country half-way to Garmouth. 
The Lochs of Boseisle and Outlet were filled up, and 
also the small Loch of Keam; the Glennock Burn 
and its tributaries at Beagrow, Burnside, and Keam, 
instead of flowing westward as before into the Lochs 
of Boseisle and Outlet, where there formerlv were 

t j 

two mills belonging to Lord DufFus and Sir Bobert 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


17 


Gordon, were closed up, and the water flowed east¬ 
ward to the Loch of Spynie. Other rivulets took 
the same course. These added considerably to the 
sources of the lake, which being also much filled up 
in its channel by the sand blowing, the water rose 
on the adjoining lands formerly arable, and did very 
great damage to the country. The proprietors, 
however, being mere onlookers, and having no com¬ 
bination among themselves, allowed matters to go 
on in the course of nature, and appear to have taken 
little notice of the destruction to them property so 
rapidly going on. 

In the year 1706 it appears the Lossie was 
threatening to break its banks and resume its an¬ 
cient course, and a contract was entered into between 
Sir Harry Innes of that ilk; Sir Alexander Innes 
of Coxtown; James Sutherland, Advocate, second 
lawful son of the deceased James Lord Duffus, for 
himself and the then Lord Duflus’ interest; John 
Innes of Leuchars; George Innes of Dunkinty; 
Thomas Brodie of Pitgaveny; and Alexander Dun¬ 
bar of Bishopmill, Sheriff of Moray, heritors of the 
adjacent lands on the east and west sides of the 
Biver of Lossie, below the Church of St. Andrew’s, 
narrating “that they having taken into consideration 
“ the great damage they and each of them did 
“ sustain in their estates, by their not maintaining 
“ of the banks of the river, and confining her to the 

B 


18 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


“ present course and channel, where she now runs, 
“ and where she had been put by art and force, 
“ therefore bind and oblige them and each of them 
“ to other, and their heirs and successors succeeding 
“ to them in their lands and estates, to maintain 
“ and support the banks of the said river with earth, 
“ feal, stone, creels, &c., where need did so require, 
“ but likewise to fill up the breaches already made, 
“ or to be made, within the bounds foresaid.” What 
followed on this important contract we do not know, 
for the proprietors of these times were readier to 
promise than fulfil, and Morayshire was then in a 
very lethargic state. 

James Lord Duffus died in the year 1705, in a 
state of great embarrassment. He had previously 
conveyed his estates to his second son, James Suther¬ 
land, Advocate, the only cautious and wise man of 
his father’s family. He did his best, but could not 
save the estates either in Moray or Sutherland. He 
sold the whole Morayshire estates to Archibald 
Dunbar of Thunderton in 1707. These consisted of 
two-thirds of Duffus, Ardgay, Leggat, Kintrae, and 
others. Mr. Dunbar was a man of prudence and 
enterprise, who, being a younger son of an old family, 
had, at a comparatively early period of his life, made 
a considerable fortune by his own unaided efforts. 
On entering into possession of the Duffus estate, he 
found it, in some of its richest parts, covered with 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


19 


water, and endeavoured to concert measures with 
the other parties interested for carrying out a 
system of drainage, but he found a great obstacle 
in the family of Gordonstown, who now set up a 
claim to the navigation of the lake, and to the whole 
solum of it. Being baffled in his attempt for a joint 
drainage, he made an attempt on his own account. 
About the year 1720 he enclosed the Waterymains 
with dykes and embankments, and then procured a 
windmill from the South of Scotland, with relative 
pumping machinery, to keep the land dry, so as to 
admit of it being cropped and pastured. The mill 
and machinery appear to have worked very well for 
some years, and probably crops were raised, and good 
pasture procured for the tenants, but, by a violent 
tempest from the west, the mill and machinery were 
totally destroyed, and Mr. Dunbar did not there¬ 
after attempt to renew them. The water of the lake 
returned on the land, but the dykes were found 
entire at the period of the future drainage. 

The proprietors round the loch at this time were 
—Mr. Dunbar for Kintrae, Crookmuir, and Watery¬ 
mains; Sir Robert Gordon for Salterhill, Balormie, 
and Ardivot; Alexander Brodie of Brodie Lord 
Lyon, for Kinneddar and Aikenhead ; Mr. Brodie of 
Pitgaveny; Mr. James Brodie of Spynie; Alexander 
Leslie of Findrassie; and Sutherland of Greenhall 
for Myreside. The Lord Lyon was very anxious for 


20 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


the drainage of the loch, but he found, from the large 
claims made by the Gordonstown family, that it 
could not be carried out without either a protracted 
lawsuit or an Act of Parliament. He was then 
Member of Parliament for the County of Elgin, 
and would have preferred getting an Act for the 
drainage of the loch, but did not meet with much 
support from the other proprietors, and the matter 
again dropped. The Lord Lyon died in 1754, and 
was succeeded by his only son, Alexander Brodie, who 
died unmarried in 1759. He was succeeded by his 
cousin, James Brodie of Spynie, born 1744, who 
married, in 1768, Lady Margaret Duff, youngest 
daughter of William, first Earl of Fife. In the 
year 1765, the estate of Pitgaveny was sold to Mr. 
James Brander; and, in consequence of family ar¬ 
rangements, to which we need not here refer, Mr. 
Brodie of Brodie sold his estates of Spynie, Kin- 
neddar, and Aikenhead, along with Monaughty and 
Aslisk, in the parish of Alves, to his brother-in-law, 
James Earl of Fife. The Earl, finding his hands 
rather too full with these extensive purchases, re-sold 
the lands of Kinneddar and Aikenhead, in the year 
1775, to Alexander Brander, Merchant in London. 
About the same time, Mr. James Brander also 
purchased from Sir Alexander Dunbar the lands of 
Waterymains, and part of Crookmuir. The price 
was from £4000 to £5000 sterling, and, considering 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


21 


that the rental was little above £100 per annum, 
it was certainly a large one. Messrs. James and 
Alexander Brander were brothers, natives of Moray¬ 
shire, who had left their native country in the days 
of their youth, and made fortunes—the former in 
Lisbon, and the latter in London—and returned 
to enjoy the well-merited fruits of their labours. 
James Brander married Helen, daughter of Archibald 
Dunbar of Newton and Duffus, and sister of Sir 
Alexander Dunbar of Northfield, which bound him, 
by an additional tie, to the Lowlands of Moray. 
The Messrs. Brander were both talented and far- 
seeing men, and there can be little doubt that part 
of their object in acquiring these lands was the 
expectation of gaming additional ground by drain¬ 
age. It was a fair speculation, but they had no 
prospect of attaining their object without considerable 
expense, and also protracted litigation, with the 
Gordonstown family in particular. 

We have now arrived at the year 1779, and, as 
the loch was then at its full height, and was soon 
to be materially altered in its appearance and dimen¬ 
sions, it will be proper to take a brief survey of it. 
Its extent at this time was probably not less than 
2500 imperial acres. Its length, from the lands of 
Westfield at the west to Aikenhead at the east, was 
about five miles; and in the Bay of Balormie, and 
farther west, not less than a mile in breadth. It 




99 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


covered the lowlands of Kintrae, great part of South 
and North Crookmuir, and Waterymains, the Castle 
of Duffus on three sides, the lowlands of Salterhill, 
Balormie, and Ardivot, part of Kinneddar and 
Aikenhead, and the lower part of Pitgaveny, Spynie, 
Myreside, and Findrassie. Towards the east end, 
and about the centre of the lake, was the island of 
Fowl Inch, greatly resorted to by water birds as a 
breeding place. It lay between the estates of 
Kinneddar and Pitgaveny, and the water being 
shallow on the Kinneddar side, during a dry summer 
cattle could be driven across for grazing, and steps 
seem to have been placed for persons to cross. 
These could only be used in very dry weather. 
Towards the west end of the loch there was a 
number of small green islets, called holmes. Four 
of these holmes belonged to Findrassie, and were 
called the Long Holme, the Lint Holme, the Little 
Holme, and the Picture Holme. Four belonged to 
Waterymains, viz.:—the Wester Holme, the Easter 
Holme, Tappie’s Holme, and Skene’s Holme. There 
were a few others. The deepest part of the loch 
was between Ardivot and the Palace of Spynie, and 
near the castle, where the old harbour was. The 
ferry-boat was not here, however, but plied between 
Salterhill and Myreside, being more in the direction 
of Elgin, and most conveniently situated. On these 
islets or holmes there was much long grass, called 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


23 


star grass, and as the country had then no artificial 
grasses, this coarse forage was particularly valuable 
in the summer time. The cattle on the neighbour¬ 
ing estates were carried in boats to the holmes in 
summer for grazing. There were also other spots 
on the west end of the loch where this grass 
abounded, such as the Star Bush of Salterhill, the 
Star Bush of Balormie, and the Star Bush of Spynie. 
In the east end of the lake there seems to have been 
none of this grass. The right to this grass on the 
shores of the loch, except upon the holmes, was 
claimed by the Gordonstown family, not without 
much opposition from the other proprietors and 
their tenants. The whole navigation of the loch by 
boats, and the right of killing the water-fowl and 
fish, were also claimed by the same family, which 
often gave rise to disputes and litigation. The 
Gordons, however, carried matters with a high hand 
and the utmost determination, and few cared to 
enter the fists with them. The lake at this time, 
with its long stretch of waters, winding shores and 
bays, many green islets and banks, and ruined 
castles, must have been a very picturesque object, 
pleasing to the eye of every person of taste. 

A change was now approaching, and which we 
shall proceed briefly to narrate. We have stated 
before that the object of the Messrs. Brander in 
purchasing these lands was to improve them by 


24 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


drainage; and the Gordonstown family, on the other 
hand, being wishful to preserve the loch entire, as 
an ornament to their own estates, and for fishing and 
fowling, committed a great mistake in not purchasing 
Pitgaveny and Kinneddar estates themselves. Had 
they done so, they would have had the entire com¬ 
mand of the outlets of the lake, and could have 
increased or diminished its waters at pleasure. 
They had ample means to purchase these properties, 
and they would have proved excellent speculations, 
but they lost the opportunity, and it could not be 
re-called. In the year 1779 Messrs. Brander began 
their new drain, and they formed it in the line of 
the old one, which had been made in 1609, but of 
a very different kind. It ran 800 yards into the 
body of the loch, and was fifty feet in breadth. This 
large work was completed at the very moderate 
expense of £500. Another drain, of smaller dimen¬ 
sions, was made, conducting a part of the water 
through the lands of Kinneddar, towards the sea. 
The large drain entered the Lossie at Brigsies, and, 
in order to allow the water to flow freely, another 
arch was added to the bridge, and a sluice placed to 
keep the tide water from entering the loch. The 
effect was very great; the depth of the lake was 
immediately reduced, and from 800 to 1000 acres 
of low land made dry. Sir William Gordon was for 
some time an onlooker, believing that this effort to 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


25 


drain the loch would fail, as others had formerly- 
done, hut, as in the year 1780, he found that the 
water had fallen so low as to stop his ferry-boat from 
plying between Salterhill and Myreside, he was 
now under the necessity of taking legal steps for the 
defence of what he considered his own property. 
He therefore, on 9th August, 1780, applied for and 
obtained an interdict against the Messrs. Brander 
from proceeding further with the work, and, rather 
distrusting his former titles, he applied to the Crown, 
and obtained a charter of novo damns of the whole 
surface or solum of the loch. This charter is dated 
the 22d July, 1780, and gives Sir William a right to 
“ the whole lake or loch of Spynie, and fishings of 
“ the same , with all and singular parts, pendicles, 
“ privileges, and pertinents thereof, together with 
“ the passage-boat upon the said loch, with the 
“ privileges, liberties, profits, and duties of the same.” 
This charter, so far as the novo damns was concerned, 
and so far as it gave rights inconsistent with pre¬ 
vious grants, was clearly ultra vires of the Crown, 
and therefore was inept against the Messrs. Brander. 
James Brander of Pitgaveny died about this time, 
and was succeeded by his son John, who was sisted 
with his uncle, Alexander Brander, as a party to the 
action. These interim proceedings were followed by 
a process of declarator, at the instance of Sir William 
Gordon, for having it found that the solum of the 


26 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


loch, and all benefit from the same, belonged to him; 
and a counter-action of declarator was raised by the 
Messrs. Brander, on the 19th July, 1781, for having 
Sir William’s title reduced and set aside. These 
several actions having come before Lord Braxfield, 
Ordinary, on 13th December, 1781, his Lordship 
conjoined them; and, after condescendence for Sir 
William, and answers for Messrs. Brander having 
been lodged and considered, his Lordship, by inter¬ 
locutor, dated 5th March, 1782, allowed Sir William 
Gordon a proof pro ut cle jure, “of the facts contained 
“ in his condescendence, and all facts and circum- 
“ stances relative thereto; and to Alexander and 
“ John Brander a proof of the facts contained in 
“ their answers; and to both parties a conjunct 
“ probation. Granted commission for taking a proof 
“ in the country; and nominated and appointed 
“ Hugh Kinnaird, landsurveyor at Nairn, to make 
“ a plan of the loch and adjacent grounds.” A 
very lengthened proof accordingly took place in 
the country. Forty-two witnesses were examined 
for Sir William Gordon, and forty for the Messrs. 
Brander—Sir William wishing to prove exclusive 
possession of the solum, and the Messrs. Brander 
the reverse. This proof, extending over 130 closely 
printed pages, and the relative plan by Mr. Hugh 
Kinnaird, are extremely interesting documents, and 
give one a better idea of the Loch of Spynie and its 



THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


27 


history from the early part of the last century down 
to the year 1780, than any other papers we have 
ever seen. The Messrs. Brander failed in their proof 
to show that the loch had, during that period, been 
at a lower level than in 1779; and Sir William 
Gordon, although he adduced many strong facts to 
exclusive possession, failed, in the opinion of the 
Court, to prove a right to the solum of the lake. 
There can be no doubt that Sir William proved a 
title to the navigation of the loch and to its waters, 
and it appears strange that the drainage, to such an 
extent as the Messrs. Brander executed, was per¬ 
mitted. So, however, it seems to have been, for the 
large drain was not stopped, but completed. The 
result of this litigation"' must have been very galling 
to Sir William, for he had planned a new house on 
the dry ground upon the Silver Hills, overlooking 
the fine reach of the lake at the Bay of Balormie, 
which, if it had been executed, and the grounds pro¬ 
perly ornamented, would have been one of the finest 
residences in the North of Scotland. Sir William 
died in 1796, and with him expired the energetic 
race of Gordonstown—a family which, for five gene¬ 
rations, had produced a set of the most talented, 
strong-minded men in the country. 

* I have searched among the reported decisions of the Court 
of Session for this case, but have not been successful in finding it, 
and I therefore conjecture that no report of it has been published. 




28 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


Page 215. 


Leslie and 
Grant’s Sur¬ 
vey, page 116. 


In the year 1798, Messrs. Grant and Leslie 
published their survey of the Province of Moray, 
and state that, by the drainage executed by the 
Messrs. Brander, 1162 acres of the loch had been 
laid bare, giving a proportion to the different estates 


after mentioned as follows:— 

ACRES. 

Pitgaveny and Kinneddar, .... 800 

Gordonstown, in Drainie, . . . .104 

Duffus Estate, . . . . . .132 

Spynie, . . . . . . .72 

Findrassie, . . . . . . .51 


Westfield, ....... 3 

Great part of the above land was, however, only 
imperfectly drained, and much of it must have had 
the appearance of a marsh. Indeed, the great 
gainers, as had been foreseen, were the Messrs. 
Brander, on their Estates of Waterymains and 
Kinneddar; it was, indeed, to them a very profit¬ 
able speculation, executed at small expense. In 
the closing year of last century, or the beginning of 
the present one, the Loch of Cotts, extending to 
about 150 imperial acres, was drained by the late 
Mr. William Young, who was then tenant of the 
farm of Inchbroom. This lake was situated in the 
Parish of St. Andrew s-Lhanbryd, and immediately 
to the eastward of the Loch of Spynie. It was 
supplied by two running streams, each of such 
extent as to work the machinery of a corn-mill. 



THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


29 


The particular steps taken to effect this drainage 
we do not know, but the work seems to have been 
very well done, and the loch turned into arable 
land, while the swampy country about Inchbroom, 
Leuchars, and Innes, was greatly improved and 
ameliorated. How the tenant was compensated for 
this great undertaking we cannot discover, but we 
have heard him state that it was profitable. It is 
likely he had made an arrangement with the pro¬ 
prietor, James Earl of Fife, who could appreciate 
such improvements, which were of immense import¬ 
ance to his estate. As Mr. Young left Inchbroom 
about the year 1806, and was thereafter engaged 
with the extensive improvements then carrying on 
upon his own Estate of Inverugie, the works at the 
Loch of Cotts could not have made him much return 
from crops within so short a period, unless he had 
received compensation from the noble proprietor, 
which, no doubt, to some extent he did. 

The successful drainage of the Loch of Cotts was 
an encouragement to the proprietors of the Loch of 
Spynie to do something for the farther improvement 
of that lake. The drains made by the Messrs. 
Brander, twenty years previous, were much filled 
up, the soil being not retentive, but very sandy, and 
which has always been a great drawback to the 
complete drainage of the Loch of Spynie. Accord¬ 
ingly, many meetings of proprietors were held 


30 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


to consider what should be done. Sir Alexander 
Penrose Gordon Cumming of Altyre had succeeded 
to the Gordonstown Estate, under the settlement of 
his cousin, Sir William Gordon, and was a talented 
and energetic man, but cautious as to expenditure 
of money, and, having a great interest in the matter, 
was one of the principal advisers. But he died in 
1806, at a comparatively early age, before any plan 
had been agreed to, or arrangement had been made 
about the drainage. In the year 1807, when the 
great work at the Caledonian Canal was going on, 
the proprietors resolved to consult Mr. Telford, the 
eminent engineer of the canal, who, after visiting 
the loch, and examining it carefully, furnished 
the proprietors with a plan, which was ultimately 
adopted, and a contract was entered into with Mr. 
William Hughes,'"' engineer, to execute the work, 
which was begun in 1808, and finished in 1812, and 
consisted of a large canal running through the centre 
of the loch to the sea at Lossiemouth, extending in 
length about seven miles, with various connecting 
side drains, and sluices at Lossiemouth to keep out 
the sea water. These were not self-acting, but hand 

* We remember Mr. Hughes well. He was a native of Wales 
—of small stature, sharp, and active, of very considerable talents; 
quiet, modest, and unassuming in his manners; very much of a 
gentleman. He lived long at Inverness, where he was well known 
and much respected. 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


31 


sluices. The work seems to have been well and ably 
executed by the eminent engineer who undertook it. 
It is said the cost was in all £12,740, but this in¬ 
cluded law expenses, which were very serious. The 

\ 

proprietors disputed about the proportion of expense 
each was to pay, and the portion of reclaimed land 
each was to receive, and these points were only 
adjusted after expensive references made, first, to 
Mr. Robert Blair, Advocate (afterwards the famous 
Lord President Blair), and then to Mr. Matthew 
Ross, the well-known Dean of the Faculty of Ad¬ 
vocates, with remits to landsurveyors, and other 
practical men in the county. At length, after a 
work of twelve years, the whole was adjusted, and 
march stones set. In the year 1820, and 1821, a 
new turnpike road was made to Lossiemouth from 
Elgin, which was carried through what remained of 
the loch between Spynie and Ardivot, where the 
greatest depth had formerly been. It was a work 
of very considerable labour and expense, and a 
bridge had to be built over the canal. This road, 
going direct to Lossiemouth, was a great advantage 
to the town of Elgin, allowing goods, coals, and 
other commodities to be carried on a first-rate road, 
and by a short route, instead of the old circuitous 
one, and it very much lessened the distance. 

In the year 1829, on the 3d and 4th of August, 
an immense deluge of rain fell on the hills. The fall 


32 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


was something unnatural. The river Lossie rose to 
a height never remembered within the life of any 
then existing person, and there was no record of any 
similar flood. The river burst its banks, entered the 
Loch of Spynie by its ancient course, broke into the 
canal, and carried everything before it to the sea. 
The sluices for keeping out the salt water were 
entirely destroyed, and the tide ebbed and flowed 
through the canal into the lake every day. The 
proprietors were much discouraged by this very 
untoward event, and lost heart for many years. 
Leaving the canal quite open to take care of itself, 
the consequences were that the loch increased, 
the large drain silted up, and a good deal of the 
reclaimed land was either rendered totally useless, 
or converted into a marsh. 

An Act of Parliament was procured in 1846, for 
making a railway from Elgin to Lossiemouth, and 
the line was shortly thereafter finished. The railway 
crossed the loch a little to the eastward of the old 
Palace of Spynie, having a bridge for the mam canal 
in the centre. It was a very picturesque object 
crossing the now shallow lake in the steam carriages, 
and seeing the water fowl, still very numerous, 
swimming about in all directions, its diminished 
waters seeming to be no barrier to the occupancy 
of their ancient domains. The loch was now crossed 
in three places—by a road at Salterhill, the turnpike 



THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


33 


road from Spynie to Ardivot, and, lastly, by the 
railway line to the eastward of the palace. 

By the year 1860, the silting up of the drains, 
and the extended waters of the lake, had become a 
serious affair to proprietors and tenants, and much 
of the land, formerly arable, had been abandoned, 
and cultivation given up. The tenants therefore 
petitioned their landlords to take immediate steps 
for remedying the evil. After many consultations, 
it was resolved to send a deputation to England to 
obtain accurate information as to how drainage was 
conducted there, and to report. This deputation 
was composed of all parties interested—proprietors, 
factors, and tenants, with Mr. MacBey, landsurveyor, 
as engineer. The deputation accordingly set out, 
made a most careful enquiry, and, on returning home, 
made a report of the result to their constituents. 
They recommended the drainage to be carried out 
either by deepening the drains, and putting up 
sufficient sluces to keep out the sea, or by a steam 
engine to pump out the water. The two com¬ 
bined would have done the business effectually, 
but to include the latter also would have been 
attended with a great yearly cost, so it was resolved 
to adopt the first course only in the meantime. The 
work was a tedious one, and was commenced with 
erection of walls for the sluices. These were placed 
in the sea, at the lowest possible level, and the 

c 



34 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


foundations had to be piled; but, from the sandy 
nature of the soil, it was with the greatest difficulty 
that the water, on either side, could be kept from 
filtering through. After much labour and trouble, 
very substantial walls, of ashlar work, were built, 
and cast iron self-acting sluices erected in them, 
which shut and opened themselves with the slightest 
pressure of the water, and, when shut, perfectly 
excluded the tide. The levels were then carefully 
taken, and the work finished by day labour, under 
the superintendence of Mr. MacBey, and sub-inspec¬ 
tors appointed by him. It was entirely satisfactory, 
but executed at a cost beyond what was antici¬ 
pated. The gain of ground, however, has been 
great. Much land, some of it of excellent quality, 
has been brought under cultivation; but the great 
object is the making perfectly dry the fields formerly 
destroyed by water. The change is certainly very 
great, and all parties concerned appear to be perfectly 
satisfied. Indeed, it is wonderful to see the beautiful 
crops now growing on the formerly marshy ground, 
which was previously a nuisance, and perfectly use¬ 
less. A problem has now been worked out, which 
occupied the proprietors for many ages, and the loch 
at last converted into dry land. We trust it may so 
remain; but it is an enemy to be guarded against, 
and carefully watched. Constantly clearing of the 
main canal, and side drains, so as to keep them in 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


35 


good working order, will be absolutely necessary, and 
also attention to the sea sluices, and walls on which 
they are hung, for, from the lesson learned from the 
great flood of 1829, there is no dependence to be 
placed on the Lossie, which may again burst into the 
lake, and undo all that has been done with such 
care and expense. The danger has been hitherto 
supposed entirely to arise from the east, but there is 
one, and possibly a serious one, in the west. Our 
local historians in the middle and end of last century 
considered that there was great danger likely to 
arise to the parishes of Duffus and Drainie, by the 
inroads of the sea in the Bay of Burghead. There 
seemed, for a considerable period, a pause in these 
encroachments, and they ceased to create alarm, but 
the sea is now again rapidly gaining on the land, and 
as there are only a few sand hills to protect the land, 
some of which may be carried away by a heavy tide 
in a single night, it may soon be necessary for the 
proprietors to consider what steps they may require 
to take to prevent the sea from overflowing, and 
resuming its ancient channel along the base of the 
Hill of Boseisle, to the Loch of Spynie, and so over¬ 
whelming much of the now fertile lands of Drainie 
and Duffus. What the ocean has done before it may 
do again, but such a calamity, it is to be fervently 
hoped, may never take place. 

It must have been a pleasant and picturesque 

c 2 


36 


THE LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


sight to see the tide ebbing and flowing daily 
through the Loch of Spynie, with vessels and boats 
plying on its waters, and fishermen moving up and 
down to and from the sea; but perhaps it was a finer 
object when it became a large fresh water lake, with 
its green-wooded banks, numerous islets, and multi¬ 
tudes of birds swimming on its placid waters. All 
these are passed away, and will be seen no more, and 
although we may feel regret that such a picturesque 
landscape should be entirely lost, yet we may con¬ 
gratulate ourselves that much arable land has been 
gained—large quantities of the finest grain grown 
where there was none before—the health of the 
country very materially improved, and the residences 
of many made dry and comfortable where previously 
they were wet, damp, and unwholesome. These 
improvements have, indeed, taken place to an extent 
that could never have been dreamt of by the most 
sanguine agriculturists. * 

* As a specimen of what drainage has done, we may here 
mention that the House of Gordonstown was formerly very damp 
and wet, and, within our own recollection, one of the cellars was 
half filled with water. By the great surrounding drainage, the 
house is now perfectly dry, and no better keeping place can be 
found, everything continuing free from mould and decay, and that 
although the house was originally built in the Bog of Plewland, 
(no doubt as a place of defence). 

It is quite wonderful the drainage which has taken place with¬ 
in a very narrow district of the Lowlands of Moray in the space 
of less than two centuries. The Lochs of Spynie, Cotts, Ream, 




STATE OF PROPERTY. 


The Parish of Spynie is now divided among four 
proprietors. The Earl of Fife possesses about one- 
half in extent—namely, the Estates of Spynie, 
Quarrelwood, Morriston, Sheriffmill, and Aldroughty; 
the Earl of Seafield—Myreside and Bishopmill; 
Hugh Maclean, Esquire—Westfield ; and the Trus¬ 
tees of the late James Ogilvie Tod, Esquire—Fin- 
drassie. The Earl of Fife is the largest, as well as 
the most ancient heritor, his ancestors having come 
into the parish shortly after the year 1700; the Earl 
of Findlater about the year 1765; Mr. Tods Trus¬ 
tees, and Mr. Maclean, only very recently. The 
whole of the old possessors of the soil, some of them 
settled for many centuries, have been dispossessed of 
their ancient inheritances. Such is the changing tide 
of human affairs, and the end of earthly grandeur. 

In endeavouring to trace the changes of property 
from the earliest recorded date to the present time, 
we would propose to commence at the east end of 


Outlet, Roseisle, Inchstellie, and Inverlochty, have all been an¬ 
nihilated, or nearly so. Some have thought that such extensive 
drainage has tended to increase the desiccation of the district, but, 
with the sea so near, it is quite impossible that it could have 
had any such effect. 




38 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


the parish, beginning with the Estate of Spy*nie, 
keeping westward along the north side of the Hill 
of Quarrelwood, and, after going to the western 
terminus, taking thereafter a rapid view of the 
Estates of Bishopmill, Morriston, Sherrffinill, and 
Aldroughty, on the south side of the hill. 


SPYNIE. 

The name of Spynie occurs in the Chartulary of 
- Moray no less than sixty-seven times, which shows 
of how much consideration it was as the seat of the 
Bishop. It was probably a place of some importance, 
and had a Parish Church at a very early date. 
When Bishop Bricius, in the beginning of the 13th 
century, fixed on this spot as the Cathedral Church 
of his diocese, he had strong reasons for doing so. 
It was most conveniently situated near the town of 
Elgin; had a communication with the sea, a harbour 
immediately adjoining, where all commodities could 
be landed; was a delightful, dry situation, with pure 
air, and a very commanding view of the surrounding 
country. There was little arable ground around it 
at this early period. Looking to the north and west, 
there was the arm of the sea, with its winding shores; 
towards the south and east, a considerable quantity 
of woodland and bare moor, but, under the fostering 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


39 


care of the Bishops, population would rapidly in¬ 
crease. Their tenants and vassals enjoyed an easy 
life, compared with those of the military barons 
around them. They had leisure to attend to their 
agricultural pursuits, and were not liable to be called 
into service for war; and, when attacked from with¬ 
out, they had the powerful arm of the Church to 
rely on. Such advantages, in a very disturbed age, 
had the tendency of bringing a great increase to the 
inhabitants of the district, improving the surround¬ 
ing land, and reclaiming much that was waste. A 
village also sprang up on the borders of the lake, to 
the west of the Palace, which was eventually erected 
into a Burgh of Barony, with merchants and traders, 
gradually growing in population and importance, 
until, by an unexpected casualty, the lake ceased to 
be connected with the sea. This locality therefore 
became, from the above causes, and long continued 
to be, the most important part of the Parish of 
Spynie, and, up to the period of the Reformation, 
the most highly cultivated part of it. With the 
Bishop and his many retainers, numerous clergymen 
and visitors, it was like a little local court, where 
much money must have been spent, and commodities 
of all descriptions introduced and sold. The Bishops 
were proverbially charitable, and hospitality was 
exercised on the largest scale. The poor and needy 
were fed with no stinted hand. Before the time of 


40 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


the Reformation, and after a long interval of 300 
years of peace and prosperity, this must have been a 
highly civilised and improved spot. The year 15GO 
brought many changes. The then Bishop Patrick 
Hepburn was highly connected, and if not a moral or 
religious man, he was a very talented one. He set 
his house in order, and prepared for the storm. To 
secure a friend in time of need, he gave some of the 
finest lands of the diocese to the Earl of Moray, 
Regent,'" then the most powerful man in Scotland, 
and the remainder seems to have been left very much 
at his own disposal. He endowed his own sons, rela¬ 
tives, and friends largely, and dilapidated or spent 
much of what remained of the once extensive posses¬ 
sions of the Church. After a life of many vicissitudes 
and changes, he died at a good old age in the Palace 
of Spynie, in the year 1573. At his death what 
remained of the lands of the diocese fell to the 
Crown, t 

Bishop Hepburn died on 20th June, and on 12th 
August of the same year George Douglas, natural 
son of Archibald Earl of Angus, was appointed the 


* Among other lands, Bishop Hepburn is stated to have given 
the Earl of Moray Kinneddar, Aikenhead, Birnie, Myreside, Al- 
droughty, lands at Keith, Dallas, and many others, with fishings 
and other privileges. 

t The lands of Spynie proper were, at the period of the 
Reformation, occupied by ten tenants. See rental of Barony of 
Spynie, anno 1565 ; Chartulary of Moray, pages 433 and 434. 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


41 


first Protestant Bishop of this diocese. He was 
Bishop for sixteen years, and therefore died in 1589. 
Perhaps he did not draw the full revenues, nor exer¬ 
cise the full functions of his office, for at that period 
Episcopacy was in a very doubtful state, and Bishops 
were frequently appointed under the wing of some 
great nobleman, to enable the patron to draw the 
revenues, the nominee Bishop being allowed the title 
and a small portion of the rental for his support, 
certainly a very humbling position to occupy. How 
far it was so in the present instance, we have not 
data for coming to a conclusion. In the year 1589, 
Alexander Lindsay, fourth son of David, ninth Earl 
of Crauford, accompanied King James VI. on his 
expedition to Denmark, to marry the Princess Anne, 
daughter of the King of that country. He was a 
great favourite of the King, who made him Vice- 
Chancellor, and he advanced 10,000 gold crowns 
to help to defray His Majesty’s expenses on the 
occasion of his journey. When Lindsay reached 
Germany he became so seriously indisposed that he 
could not proceed farther, and, much to his own 
dissatisfaction, was obliged to remain there, and 
eventually to return home. The King did not for¬ 
get him, for he wrote a letter from the Castle of 
Croneburg, in Denmark, in which he states—“Lett 
“ this assure you, on the inviolabill worde of your 
“ awin Prince and Maister, that quhen Godd randeris 



42 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


See Douglas’s 
Peerage of 
Scotland, vol. 
2, page 517- 
Wood’s Edi¬ 
tion. 

Jervise’s Land 
of the Lind¬ 
says, pages 
290 and 291. 


“ me in Skotland, I sail irrevocable, and with con- 
“ sent of Parliament, erect you the temporalitie of 
“ Murray in a temporal lordshipp, with all honouris 
“ thairto appartaining. Let this serve for cure to 
“ your present disease.” In implement of this pro¬ 
mise, the King, on his return home, gave a charter to 
Alexander Lindsay, Vice-Chamberlain, of the Lord- 
ship of Spynie, and other lands in the counties of 
Elgin, Banff, and Inverness, formerly belonging to 
the See of Moray, united into the free Barony of 
Spynie, with the title of Baron of Spynie to him, 
and his heirs and assignees, dated 6th May, 1590. 
Another charter was granted 17th April, 1593, of 
new erecting these into a temporal lordship, with the 
dignity of a Peer of Parliament, to him and Dame 
Jane Lyon, his wife, and the longest liver of them, 
in conjunct fee, and to the heirs lawfully procreated 
between them, whom failing, to the nearest lawful 
heirs male of the said Alexander Lord Spynie, and 
his assignees heritably. This charter included the 
patronages of all the churches formerly in the gift 
of the Bishop, upwards of forty in number. Lord 
Spynie had little connection with the North of 
Scotland. His relatives and friends were in Forfar 
and Fife shires, and neither he nor his lady ever took 
any interest in their northern’possessions. In 1599 
he appointed Alexander Innes of Cotts Constable 
of the Fortalice and Castle of Spynie, and others 


\ 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 43 

within the precinct, with very extensive powers, and 
that functionary appears to have looked after the 
temporalities for behoof of his noble employer. The 
property only continued in possession of the Lindsay 
family for sixteen years. In 1606, after King James 
YI. succeeded to the throne of England, it was his 
determined resolution to restore the order of Bishops, 
not from any religious feeling, but merely from 
temporal motives. The Presbyterians, with their 
General Assemblies, smell’t too much of Bepubli- 
canism, while the Bishops were considered favourable 
to despotic power, which the Boyal Family of Stuart, 
unfortunately for themselves, always aimed at. The 
words of King James were—“No Bishop, no King ” 
It was therefore arranged accordingly, and the tem¬ 
poralities of the Church, so far as possible, were re¬ 
acquired by the Crown. Lord Spynie sold to the 
Crown the lands belonging to the Bishopric of Moray 
granted to him in 1590, reserving only the patronages 
of the Churches, which he eventually lost by not 
exercising his rights. Lord Spynie and the King 
did not always continue on terms of friendship. On 
the contrary, they became quite alienated from one 
another. His Lordship was killed in a street brawl 
in Edinburgh, by his cousin, David Lindsay of 
Edzell, in 1607. The cause of this slaughter has 
been variously stated, and we shall probably refer to 
the subject again in another part. Mr. Shaw, in his 


Lord Lind¬ 
say’s Lives of 
the Liudsays, 
vol. 1, page 
386. 



44 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


Shaw’s His¬ 
tory-Grant’s 
Edition—page 
103. 


See Old Statis¬ 
tical Account 
of the Parish, 
vol. 10, page 
627. 


History of Moray, states that Lord Spynie held the 
temporal lands of the diocese until 1670—and we 
are unwilling to differ from one so accurate in 
general—but it is proved by so many authorities 
that he sold them to the Crown in 1606, that the 
fact is beyond question. When Episcopacy was 
restored in 1606, Alexander Douglas, minister at 
Elgin, was made Bishop, and held the See for seven¬ 
teen years. He seems to have resided at Elgin, and 
but little at Spynie, which continued under the 
management of Innes of Cotts, the Constable of the 
Palace and Legality. Bishop Douglas is said to 
have been a good man, and to have conducted him¬ 
self, in difficult times, with modesty and discretion. 
He died in 1623.'“ He conveyed the lands of Spynie, 
as well as Morriston and Burgh Briggs, to his son, 
Alexander Douglas, retaining for himself and his suc¬ 
cessors only the precinct round the palace. Alex¬ 
ander Douglas, the Bishop’s son, is said to have 
married Mary Innes, and died, when Provost of 
Banff, in 1669. 

The Douglases, who were probably a branch of 
the Pittendrich family, continued in possession of the 

* Bishop Alexander Douglas was interred in the South Aisle 
of the Church of St. Giles in Elgin, in a vault built by his widow, 
who likewise erected a very handsome monument to his memory. 
It remained entire until St. Giles’ Church was removed, when the 
monument was carried to the Elgin Cathedral, and is now erected 
on the north enclosure wall, and is in good preservation. 




STATE OF PROPERTY. 


45 


Estate of Spynie until about the close of the century, 
when they sold it to James Brodie of Whitehill, a 
cadet of the family of Brodie. 

John Guthrie of Guthrie, in Angus, succeeded 
Alexander Douglas as Bishop in 1623. He was a 
man of property, and adopted greater style in living 
than his predecessor. He took possession of, and 
lived in, the Palace of Spynie, in considerable state. 
Innes of Cotts resigned his constabulary, and exe¬ 
cuted a deed at Edinburgh, the 20th November, 
1623, by which he renounced the care of the Fort- 
alice and Castle of Spynie, and others within the 
precinct, “which umquhil Alexander Lord Spynie, 
“ by charter, dated 18tli December, 1599, confirmed 
“ by charter under the Great Seal, 25th December, 
“ 1599, and charter of Alexander Bishop of Moray, 
“ with consent of the Chapter, in June, 1607, granted 
“ to John Innes of Leuchars, in liferent, and the said 
“ Alexander Innes in fee , with fees of the same, 
“ privilege of keeping the wood, shaw, or forest of 
“ Spynie, with the loch, and slay fishes therein, and 
“ to take peats from Laverock Moss, and muirs 
“ adjacent .” Bishop Guthrie continued in the Epis¬ 
copacy until the period of the famous Glasgow 
Assembly of the Church in 1638, when he, along 
with the other Scotch Bishops, were deposed, and 
Episcopacy declared to be at an end. He resolved, 
however, to keep possession ol the stronghold of 


Chartulary of 
Moray, page 
427. 


46 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


Spalding’s Spynie, which he furnished with ammunition and 

Troubles in 1 J 

S i, O page d 305 °^ provisions for a siege, and strongly fortified. He 

Shaw’s His- retained the place until July, 1640, when the house, 

tory, page 354; 1 J 

Gordon of being attacked by General Munro, with 300 mus- 

History voi. keteers and cannon, the Bishop resolved to surrender 
at discretion. He then retired to his paternal 
residence of Guthrie, in Angus, and died there. 
There was no Bishop until the order was restored 
by King Charles II., in 1662. The revenues of the 
diocese were received by the Government of the 
times. 

Murdo Mackenzie, Minister at Elgin, was conse¬ 
crated Bishop in 1662. He was translated to 
Orkney in 1677, and died there in 1688, a very aged 
man. He had been a violent Covenanter, but the 
‘ offer of the Bishopric of Moray cured him of all 
Presbyterian propensities. James Aitken, an Eng¬ 
lishman, succeeded; he is said to have been a very 
good man. He was translated to Galloway in 1680. 
Colin Falconer, of the family of Halkerton, succeeded, 
and held the See from 1680 to 1686. He was an 
excellent man—very conciliatory, in difficult times. 
He. died in the Castle of Spynie, and was the 
last Bishop who inhabited it. Alexander Rose was 
Bishop in 1687, and translated to Edinburgh in 1688. 
William Hay was consecrated in 1688, and ejected 
at the Revolution the same year. Neither of the two 
last Bishops were ever in possession. After the Re- 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


47 


volution, the whole revenues of the diocese and the 
Castle of Spynie, with the precinct, fell to the Crown. 
The castle was allowed to fall into ruins. The wood, 
iron work, and finest stones of the buildings were car¬ 
ried away by the country people. The palace and 
precinct continued in possession of the Crown down 
to about the year 1840, when they were sold to the 
Earl of Fife, on the valuation of the late Mr. Peter 
Brown, at a very moderate price. About fifteen 
years previous to the sale, the Barons of Exchequer 
had given orders to preserve what remained of the 
ruins. They erected a lodge for a keeper, and planted 
and enclosed the Hill of Spynie with larch and fir 
wood, which now, after the lapse of forty years, is 
pretty well advanced, and is a great improvement. 
Bound the palace, the ground has been planted with 
hardwood, which also has made good progress, and 
has beautified as well as sheltered the place. The 
Earl of Fife, we are glad to find, has taken an in¬ 
terest in the palace and grounds, and is caring for 
and protecting the fine old ruin. 

We have stated before that the family of Douglas 
sold the Estate of Spynie to James Brodie of White- 
hill, about the close of the 17th century. There 
were three successive proprietors of this family, viz.: 
—1st, James Brodie, the purchaser, who was brother 
of George Brodie of Brodie; 2d, James Brodie, his 
son, who was Sheriff-Depute of the County of Elgin; 



48 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


and, 3d, James Brodie, grandson of the purchaser. 

This last proprietor was born in 1744. In 1759, by 

% 

the death of his second cousin, Alexander Brodie of 
Brodie, he succeeded to the whole Brodie Estates. 
He married, in 1768, Lady Margaret Duff, daughter 
of William Earl of Fife. About, or shortly after the 
year 1770, he conveyed the Estate of Spynie, with 
Kinneddar, Aikenhead, Monaughty, and Aslisk, to 
his brother-in-law, James Earl of Fife, and thus 
terminated his connection with Spynie. The Brodie 
family possessed the estate for about seventy years. 
The Duffs have been proprietors for about a century, 
four Earls of Fife successively having held it. 1st, 
James, second Earl of Fife; 2d, Alexander, his 
brother; 3d, the late James Earl of Fife, his nephew; 
and, 4th, the present Earl, his grand-nephew. The 
Fife family, as we had occasion to mention previously, 
purchased from the Crown, about twenty-five years 
ago, the palace and precinct, with the arable and 
pasture land, the Hill of Spynie, and extensive plan¬ 
tations of fir and larch upon it, also part of the loch 
adjoining. This has added much to the value of the 
property, and it now forms a very compact estate. 
The land at the east end is the most valuable, being 
an excellent kindly soil, raising the finest crops; at 
the west end it is very light and sandy, and requires 
copious showers of rain during the summer to make 
it produce abundantly. Since the Fife family have 



STATE OF PROPERTY. 


49 


been proprietors, the estate has been almost entirely 
occupied as one farm. The tenants during the last 
eighty or ninety years have been—1st, Mr. Thomas 
Gordon, who afterwards settled in Ireland ; 2d, Mr. 
James Mellis, who occupied the farm for nearly 
thirty-eight years, and was well known as an excel¬ 
lent judge of stock, and for his genial and social dis¬ 
position ; 3d, Dr. David Davidson Manson, who died 
in early life, having not completed a nineteen years’ 
lease; and, 4th, Mr. John Alexander Cooper, the 
present tenant. At no period of its history has 
Spynie been better farmed than now. Mr. Cooper is 
an excellent, enterprising tenant; has the land in 
the best state of cultivation, and the houses and 
fences remarkably neat and in good order ; every¬ 
thing being conducted in the best possible manner, 
and with the greatest propriety and regularity. 


MYRESIDE. 

This was Church land, and, at an early date, was 
certainly composed almost entirely of moor, marsh, 
and woodland, and, only by slow degrees, and under 
the fostering care of the Bishops, was converted 
partly into arable ground. On the north side it 
was washed by the waters of the loch, and, on the 

D 



50 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


Rental 

Chartulary of 
Moray, p. 435. 


Douglas’s 
Peerage, vol. 1, 
page 5S7. 


south, bounded by the lands of Bishopmill. At the 
period of the Reformation, it was occupied by five 
tenants. It was a part of the land granted by 
Bishop Patrick Hepburn to the Regent Earl of 
Moray, at the Reformation. We find these lands 
referred to in a charter granted by Alexander Dou¬ 
glas, Bishop of Moray, in favour of James Earl of 
Moray, after the restoration of Episcopacy, in 1606. 
They continued in Lord Moray’s family probably till 
near the close of the 17th century, when they were 
sold to Sutherland of Kinsteary (afterwards designed 
of Greenhall), and successively held in property by 
John Sutherland of Greenhall, and his son, Lawrence 
Sutherland. By the latter they were sold, prior to 
the year 1770, to James Earl of Findlater and Sea- 
field, in whose family they still continue. 

It may be here remarked that the Findlater 
family had no property in Morayshire prior to the 
middle of last century. Their acquiring estates in 
that county, so far as we can judge, seems to have 
proceeded from political motives. The Fife family, 
by constant perseverance, had gained the ascendancy 
in Banffshire, and were now threatening to do the 
same in Morayshire. In 1735, Sir Ludovick Grant 
of Grant married Lady Margaret Ogilvie, eldest 
daughter of James fifth Earl of Findlater and Sea- 
field. This created a very intimate connection 
between the Grant and Findlater families, and their 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


51 


interests flowed in the same channel. James Lord 
Deskford, the brother of Lady Grant, afterwards 
sixth Earl of Findlater and Seafield, was a very 
talented and far-seeing man, warmly interested in 
the progress of the country in agriculture, commerce, 
and all liberal arts. During the latter part of his 
father’s life he took the management of the estates, 
and it was by his advice that the land now possessed 
by the family in Morayshire was purchased. In 1758, 
the Baronies of ftothes, Easter Elchies, and Edin- 
villie, were purchased from John Grant, Baron of 
Exchequer, and between that date and 1770, the 
Estates of Birnie, Main, Linkwood, Bishopmill, 

Myreside, and Burgh Briggs, were acquired by the 
Findlater family. Doubtless other purchases would 
have been made, but James sixth Earl of Findlater 
and Seafield, died at Cullen House in November, 

1770, in the fifty-sixth year of his age, a very prema¬ 
ture death for himself and his country, and with him 
the farther acquisition of land in Morayshire ceased. 

His son and successor, James seventh and last Earl, 
lived abroad, and took little interest in his Scotch 
estates. 

In the year 1772, a very considerable improve¬ 
ment was made, partly on Myreside, and partly on 
the Bishopmill lands, by planting about 150 acres Mr Isaac For- 

1 J 1 ° syth’s remarks 

with Scotch fir. It was moorland, and very bleak, Magai^lS.' 
producing no pasture, and only a covering of short, 


52 


STATE OF PKOPERTY. 


clry heath, and did not bring in a farthing of rent. 
The plantation was made at very small expense, 
and the thinnings soon repaid the outlay. The 
droppings of the needles of the fir enriched the 
soil, and, after the lapse of thirty years, an experi¬ 
ment was made in attempting the improvement of a 
few acres. It was found that the ground made 
tolerably arable land. From time to time this has 
been repeated, until almost the whole wood has been 
removed, and converted into good arable ground, at 
a moderate expense. The farm of Newfield has been 
partly made out from the ground covered with wood, 
and that of Woodlands entirely so, and both, in a 
favourable season, when rain abounds, yield good 
crops of corn, turnips, and grass. The wood grown 
was of excellent quality, and not only amply repaid 
expenses, but gave a good return in the way of rent 
to the proprietor. In the progress of events, part of 
the farm of Myreside has thus been added to New¬ 
field and Woodlands, and the boundaries with the 
adjoining Estate of Bishopmill have been considerably 
changed. 

During the latter part of last century, the lands 
of Myreside were tenanted by Mr. Lawrence Suther¬ 
land of Greenhall, the person who sold the property 
to the Earl of Findlater, thereafter by Mr. Hugh 
Tod, both well-known men. Since that time, the 
farm has been well enclosed with substantial stone 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


53 


dykes, and formed into neat and convenient lots 
adapted for modern husbandry, and the land is well 
farmed by Mrs. Russell, the present tenant. 


FINDRASSIE. 

This Estate, anciently called Fynrossy, stands on 
the west side of Myreside, and is bounded by it on 
the east and south, by Quarrelwood on the west, and 
by the now dry bed of the Loch of Spynie on the 
north. In ancient times it was principally grass and 
woodland, with a little corn land on the north side. 
It was washed by the sea when the loch was salt 
water, and when it became fresh there was abun¬ 
dance of coarse star grass on the marsh beside the 
water, and on the four holmes or islets belonging to 
the estate. Being on the north side of the hill, it is 
not so sweet and sunny as upon the southern slopes, 
but still it is a pleasant retired residence. It was 
Church land, and even after it was feued out by the 
Bishop of Moray it still held of him as the superior, 
and, in some measure, claimed his protection. The 
first mention of the property is in a dispute between 
Walter de Moravia and Andrew Bishop of Moray, 
about the use of the wood and moor of Spynie, and 
“Fynrossy,” which appears to have been amicably 


54 


STATE OF PROPERTY, 


Registrum 
Mora vie use, 
page 132. 


Registrum, 
page 113. 


Registrum, 
page 182. 


Registrum, 
page 370. 


Registrum, 
page 400. 


settled by agreement, on the 10th October, 1226. 
It is again referred to in a dispute on the same sub¬ 
ject between Simon Bishop of Moray and Friskinus 
Lord of Duffus, in 1248. The lands were feued out by 
Alexander Bishop of Moray to John Forbes of that 
ilk, and Margaret Forbes, his spouse, for good and 
faithful service and assistance, on 18th July, 1378. 
They were resigned again into the hands of the 
Bishop by John Flathson, Mair-General of the 
diocese, in the year 1395. A charter of feu farm 
was granted by Patrick Hepburn, Bishop of Moray, 
with consent of the Chapter, to James Innes of Roth- 
makenzie, and Katherine Gordon, his spouse, dated 
at the Cathedral Church, 6th November, 1540, at a 
feu-duty of fifteen merks, one mart, one sheep, two 
dozen capons, two bolls of oats, with fodder, and 
forty shillings for six bolls of dry multure. Another 
charter was granted to the same James Innes on 7th 
April, 1545, and a charter, confirming a sale by 
Alexander Innes of Crombie, with consent of Eliza¬ 
beth Forbes, his wife, to George Sinclair, son of 
George Earl of Caithness, reserving the Bishop’s 
Moss, otherwise the Laverock Moss, dated at the 
Palace of Spynie, 26th May, 1569. In the latter 
part of the 16th century, the estate was in posses¬ 
sion of Robert Leslie, second son of George Earl of 
Rothes, by Lady Margaret Crichton, his first wife, 
only daughter of William Lord Crichton, by the 


STATE OF PROFERTY. 


55 


Lady Cicely, his wife, second daughter to King 
James II. of Scotland. Robert Leslie was the im¬ 
mediate younger brother of the gallant Norman 
Leslie, Master of Rothes, and when his brother was 
forfeited as accessory to the murder of Cardinal 
Beaton, Robert should have succeeded to the earl¬ 
dom, but his father, for some reason, passed him 
over, and, with consent of the Crown, got the title 
and Estate of Rothes settled upon Andrew Leslie, 
his son by a second marriage—a most unjust pro¬ 
ceeding/'" All that Robert got in lieu of it was 
Findrassie, and some other lands in Moray and Ross. 
The reason of Robert being deprived of the Estate 
and titles of Rothes arose probably from the fact 
that Andrew Leslie, his half brother, married Grizzel 
Hamilton, daughter of Sir James Hamilton of Evan- 
dale, natural brother of the Duke of Cliatelherault, 
then Regent of Scotland, by whose influence the 
succession both to the Estate and titles of Rothes 
was settled upon Andrew Leslie and Grizzel Hamil¬ 
ton, to the deprivation of the family of the first 
marriage. The succession is as follows:— 

1. Robert Leslie of Findrassie, the son of the 
Earl of Rothes, married Janet, daughter of Robert 

* For particulars of this curious transaction, see Nisbet’s 
Heraldry, volume 2, appendix, page 141. Crauford’s Peerage— 
edition 1716—page 429. Douglas’s Peerage—Wood’s edition- 
volume 2. nasre 428. 




STATE OF PROPERTY. 


56 

Lord Elphinstone, by whom he had Robert, his 
successor.'* 

2. Robert Leslie married Margaret, daughter of 
Alexander Dunbar, Dean of Moray, one of the Sena¬ 
tors of the College of Justice, in the reign of King 
James VI., ancestor to Dunbar of Grange, and had, 
1st, Robert; 2d, John. 

3. Robert Leslie married Isabel Forbes, daughter 

* Robert Leslie, the first of Findrassie, and his wife, Janet 
Elphinstone, were interred in the north aisle of St. Giles’ Church, 
in Elgin, which was long afterwards the burying place of the 
family. The aisle, which was called “ Leslie’s Aisle,” becoming 
ruinous, was entirely removed from the Church, with the monu¬ 
ment, about the year 1820, and the ashes of the dead scattered to 
the winds, but the following inscription is preserved in Monteith’s 
Theatre of Mortality, published in the year 1704 :— 

Robertus Lesly, comitis qui filius olim, 

Rothusie fuerat, simul et suavissima conjux, 

Elpstonii soboles herois, conduntur in antro, 

Hoc licet obscuro, celebres pietate supersunt. 

Hos quondam, binos Hymenaeus junxit in unum, 

Corpus, et his vivis semper fuit una voluntas ; 

Unus amor, domus una fuit, nunc lumine cassos, 

Una duos iterum condit libitina sepultos. 

Tho’ Robert Lesley, Earl of Rothes’ son, 

With his sweet wife, daughter of Elphinstone, 

Heroick blood, lie in this grave obscure, 

Their shining graces ever do endure. 

Those, sometime two, did Hymen join in one, 

Body and mind, in life’s conjunction; 

They had one love, one house, and, now when dead, 

Them here one grave and tomb has covered. 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


57 


to Abraham Forbes of Blackton, sixth son to William 
Lord Forbes, by Elizabeth, his wife, daughter and 
one of the two co-heiresses of Sir William Keith of 
Inverugie, by whom he had two sons, George and 
Abraham. 

4. George succeeded, and married Mary, daughter 
of Bannerman of Waterton, but died without issue. 

5. Abraham succeeded, and was served nearest 
heir male to his brother George, 5th April, 1692. 

He died also without issue, and was succeeded by 

John Leslie, his grand-nephew, descended from John See Abreviatio, 

° L Retornatarum, 

Leslie, second son of Bobert Leslie, 2d of Findrassie. hea F<Ses nand 
The above John, second son of Bobert Leslie, 2d of 
Findrassie, married Janet, daughter of Nairn of 
Cromdale, and had a son, John, who married Grizzel, 
daughter of John Douglas of Tilquhilly, a cadet of 
the family of Morton, and had— 

6. John Leslie of Findrassie, who married Mar¬ 
garet, daughter of Charles Gordon of Glengerrack, 
and by her had three sons—Alexander, Abraham, 
and Charles. John died before the year 1744. His 
wife, Margaret Gordon, died 26th December, 1764. 

7. Alexander succeeded his father, and had a 
charter, under the Great Seal, of the lands of Fin¬ 
drassie, Ethie, Muirhead, and others, in the Shires 
of Elgin and Boss, dated 3d July, 1753. He had 
an extensive estate, viz.:—Findrassie, in the Parish 
of Spynie; Middleton, Gedloch, and Conloch, in the 





58 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


Parish of Birnie, being about one-fourth of that 
parish; and the lands of Baddery, Ethie, and Muir- 
head, in the Parish of Bosemarkie, and County of 
Boss.*'' He was succeeded by his son, John. 

8. John Leslie of Findrassie died before the year 
1786, without issue, and was succeeded by his uncle, 

9. Abraham Leslie, who was served nearest law¬ 
ful heir of line, and of provision, to his nephew, 

See Tombstone John Leslie, on the 17th June, 1786. He was a 

in the Church¬ 
yard of Spynie. D oc tor of Medicine, and was about thirty-five years 

abroad—in North America first, and afterwards in 

China. He died 26th May, 1793, without male issue. 

10. Charles Leslie succeeded his brother, Abra¬ 
ham, but seems to have made up no titles for several 
years. He was served heir to his brother by special 
service at Edinburgh, the 26th December, 1806. 
He was then a very old man. He was married to a 
Margaret Macandrew, who predeceased him on 11th 
July, 1796, without issue. He conveyed his estates 
in the Counties of Elgin and Boss to his niece, 
Dame Caroline Jemima Leslie, wife of Sir John 
Leslie, Baronet, and the heirs male of her body, by 
disposition, dated 28th July, 1806. He himself died 
that year. 


* In the year 1644. the lands of Robert Leslie, then of Fin¬ 
drassie, in the Parish of Rosemarkie, are valued at £1607 6s. 8d. 
Scots money of yearly value, which probably might be equal to a 
rental of nearly £2000 sterling per annum in the present day. 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


59 


11. Dame Caroline Jemima Leslie succeeded, and 
obtained a charter, under the Great Seal, of these 
estates, dated 3d February, 1807. The lands in 
Birnie had been previously sold to the Earl of Find- 
later, and she sold the Estates of Ethie and 
Muirhead,** in the County of Ross, to Evan Baillie 
of Dochfour, in February, 1808. Lady Leslie died 
before the month of July, 1816. 

12. Sir Charles Abraham Leslie, Bart., succeeded 
his mother, Lady Leslie, and was served nearest 
lawful heir male to her on 9th July, 1816. About 
the year 1817, he sold the Estate of Raddery, in 
the County of Ross, to Mr. Fowler, and about the 
year 1825, he sold the last of his estates, Findrassie, 
to Colonel Alexander Grant, a native of Forres, who 
had made a fortune in the East Indies, thus closing 
the connection of an old and respectable family with 
Morayshire, which had subsisted for two hundred 
and fifty years, and leaving nothing of an estate, 
(which if entire would have been worth about £3000 
per annum), but their burial place in the Churchyard 
of Spynie. Such is the mutability of all human 
affairs. 

The family of Leslie were considerable improvers, 
and appear to have done a good deal in that way 


* The Estates of Ethie and Muirhead now belong to Mr. 
Fletcher of Rosehaugh. 


60 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


both in Moray and Ross, particularly in the way of 
planting. These improvements were executed in 
the time of Abraham Leslie, who was a man of 
enlarged mind, had seen much of the world, and who 
had the means of doing so. The moors of Findrassie 
were planted with Scotch fir. The trees have now 
reached maturity, and, being of fine quality, yield a 
rich return to the present proprietors. On the 
Estate of Ethie, in Ross-shire, large plantations of 
Scotch fir were made also, and which, having reached 
maturity, were cut by Mr. Baillie of Dochfour, the 
next proprietor. The stumps of the trees now only 
remain, and the place has been left exceedingly bare 
and desolate, a state of matters which the present 
enterprising and sagacious owner, Mr. Fletcher, will 
soon likely remove. 

The present mansion-house of Findrassie has the 
appearance of having been erected about a century 
ago, and was certainly built by Abraham Leslie. It 
is a commodious dwelling of the old Scotch style, 
which could easily be improved by giving it a new 
front. The garden is large, and bears great crops of 
fruit, and is well walled. The grounds are well laid 
out, and pretty extensive. After the death of Mr. 
Charles Leslie, in 1807, the estates, both in Moray 
and Ross, were soon disposed of by his successors, 
and, in the short period of eighteen years, the whole 
were sold, and the family landless. 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


61 


During Colonel Grant's occupancy of the estate, 
a period of about ten years, considerable improve¬ 
ments were made by planting and embellishment, 
and some new fields added on the west side of the 
Dufius road, by grubbing out the fir trees, and con¬ 
verting the ground into arable land. Also a good 
deal of draining and fencing took place. Colonel 
Grant died about the year 1835, and his Trustees 
sold the estate in June, 1836, to James Ogilvie Tod, 
Esquire, who had been in the Civil Service in India, 
and had then lately returned with a fortune. Mr. 
Tod did not long enjoy the property, having died the 
following year, and left the estate in the hands of 
Trustees, for behoof of his only child, Helen Tod, 
now Mrs. Forster. The property has been well and 
judiciously managed by the acting Trustees—first, 
the late Mr. Alexander Brown, and, for the last six¬ 
teen years, by Mr. James Geddes. The farms have 
been let to industrious tenants, and the wood, in 
particular, has been carefully looked after by Mr. 
Geddes, who has shown much judgment and care in 
the management of it, for, although large sums of 
money have been realised by the sales which have 
taken place every year, its value has not been 
materially diminished, and the estate is still well 
covered with the trees, which have not the appear¬ 
ance of being too much thinned. The management 
of the Trustees will continue during the life of Mrs. 
Forster. 


62 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


QUARRELWOOD, NOW CALLED 
QUARRYWOOD. 

This estate, in its present bounds, is much more 

extensive than it was in ancient times. It now 

# 

comprehends Quarrywood, Loanhead, Kintrae, Rose- 
brae, Leggat, Rosehaugh, and other farms, and ex¬ 
tends to the top of the hill bounding Morriston, 
Sheriffinill, and Aldroughty, at the south. In old 
writings it is written “Querelwode,” “Correilwod,” 
and “Quarelwode,” and, as it had this name before 
there were quarries in the hill, it may be somewhat 
difficult to ascertain the meaning of the word. The 
word “Quarrel,” in old writings, sometimes means a 
quarry of stones; it also sometimes stands for game , 
or the engines by which game is killed. The name 
may therefore mean either the Quarrywood, by which 
it is now known, or the wood of game, or in which 
game is killed. It sufficiently answers to either of 
these appellations. 

It is probable that the whole, or greater part, of 
this estate, in ancient times, formed part of the 
Earldom of Moray, as some of the farms continued 
to do until a very late date. 

The first proprietor of Quarrelwood, of whom we 
have any distinct account, is Sir Robert Lauder, or 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


63 


Lavedre. His father, also Sir Robert, was Justiciary 
of Lothian, and Ambassador to England, in the time 
of King Robert Bruce, and engaged in similar ser¬ 
vice for King David Bruce. Both father and son 
seem to have been present at the battle of Halidon 
Hill, in 1333, after which fatal event the younger 

Sir Robert, being Justiciary of the North, hastened 

% 

to occupy the Castle of Urquhart, on Loch Ness, one 
of the few fortalices which held out against the 
power of Edward of England. It is supposed that 
at this time he acquired the lands of Quarrelwood, 
Grieshop, Brightmony, and Kinsteary, which con¬ 
tinued to be possessed by his descendants, in the 
female line, for many generations. He designates 
himself as “Robertus de Lavadre, Dominus de Quar¬ 
relwood, in Moravia.” This Robert Lauder obtained 
a charter from John Pilmore, Bishop of Moray, for 
good services, of the half davoch lands of Aber- 
breachy, and the lands of Auchmunie, within the 
Barony of Urquhart, for payment of four merks 
yearly, dated at Elgin, in the feast of St. Nicholas, 
1333. He founded a chaplainry in the Cathedral 
Church of Moray, at the altar of St. Peter, out of 
his lands of Brightmony and Kinsteary, and mill of 
Auldearn, for his own soul, and those of his ancestors 
and successors, and in particular for the soul of Hugh 
Earl of Ross. The deed is dated at Dunfermline, 
the 1st May, 1362, which gift is confirmed by a writ 


64 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


from King David Bruce, dated at Elgin, the 10th 
May, in the thirty-eighth year of his reign. Sir 
Robert Lauder is said to have had a family of sons 
and daughters. One daughter was married to Sir 
Robert Chisholm, and her father conveyed to her, or 
her husband, in her right, the lands of Quarrelwood, 
Kinsteary, Brightmony, and others.'* 

The foundation of the chaplainry in the Elgin 
Cathedral was among the last acts of Sir Robert 
Lauder’s life. Sir Robert Chisholm, his successor, 
was of the family of Chisholm, on the English border, 
and the founder of the still flourishing family of 
Chisholm of Strathglass. He seems to have been 
a man of action and spirit. He is mentioned in a 
document relative to a settlement of mills and 
Registrum multures, from Alexander Bar, Bishop of Moray, 

Moravieuse, 

pp.i69.i84.2u5. c l a ted in 1369; a declaration about the Church lands 


* From the above Sir Robert Lauder, or Lavedre, are descended 
the families of Lauder of Bass and Fountainhall. Sir John 
Lauder of Fountainhall, the celebrated Scotch lawyer, and second 
baronet of that family, who flourished in the end of the 17th 
century, came to be the male representative of the founder. He 
was a Lord of Session, by the title of Lord Fountainhall. His 
delightful diary, to which we may have in the sequel to refer, is 
the best account of the times in which he lived. He was the 
great-great-grandfather of the late accomplished Sir Thomas Dick 
Lauder, Baronet, of whom Morayshire may be proud, as the 
author of many works connected with it. By his marriage with 
Miss Cumin of Relugas, and his long residence at that beautiful 
place, Sir Thomas was himself more than half a Morayshire man. 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


65 


in Badenoch; a charter of the lands of Abbreachy, 
by the same Bishop, in favour of Alexander Stewart, 
Earl of Buchan, commonly called the “ Wolfe of 
Badenoch,” dated at Elgin, the 3d February, 1386; 
and he is one of a jury in the service of John Sibbald, 
as heir to his father, Bobert Sibbald, in the lands of 
Aldroughty, at the Bishop’s Mill, the last day of 
August, 1393. He had a daughter, Janet, married 
to Hugh Bose of Kilravock, to whom he conveyed 
various lands in Strathnairn. He is supposed to 
have had no heir male of his own body, and to have 
been succeeded by his brother, John Chisholm, who 
was again succeeded by his son, Bobert, who had a 
daughter, and only child, Morelia, proprietor of the 
lands of Quarrel wood, Brightmony, Kinsteary, &c.— 
the heir male of the Chisholms succeeding to the 


Douglas’s 
Baronage, 
page 454, and 
Contract of 
Marriage, 
anno 1364, 
there referred 
to. 


Shaw’s 
History 
edition 1827, 
page 193. 


paternal Estate in Strathglass. Morelia Chisholm 
married Alexander Sutherland, third laird of Duffus, 
of that name, who thereupon added to his armorial 
bearings a boar’s head erased, being part of the arms 
of Chisholm. 4 " Of this marriage there were born, 

1st, Alexander, whose only daughter and heir, Douglas’s 

JPctiTclgO 

Christian Sutherland, married William Oliphant of wood’s edition 

7 1 vol. 1, pp. 445, 

446. 


* There is an ancient tombstone in the Churchyard of Duffus 
with the following inscription :—“ Hie jacet duo nobili, Alexr. 

“ Sutherland, olim, Dominus de Duffus. - Chisholm, 

“ Domina de Quarrelwood, ejus sponsa qui obiit 12th October, 
“ 1479.” It would be difficult to know whether this inscription 
applied to husband, or wife, or both. 


E 




66 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


Papers at 
Duffus House 


Berridale, in Caithness; 2d, William, and a daughter, 
Isabella, married to Sir Alexander Dunbar of West- 
field. William Sutherland, the second son, inherited 
his mother’s lands of Quarrelwood, and left a son, 
William Sutherland of Quarrelwood, who, on the 
death of his uncle, Alexander, took possession of the 
Barony of Duffus, of the lands in Caithness and 
Inverness, and Strabrok,* in Linlithgow, on the 
ground that Christian, his uncle’s daughter, was 
illegitimate. Legal proceedings ensued, both in 
Scotland and at Borne, in which he was successful, 
and he got a charter of the barony, 18th June, 1507. 
He was killed at Thurso by the clan Gunn, 1529. 
He married Janet, daughter of Alexander Innes of 
Innes, and had issue, William, his successor, and 
Alexander, Dean of Caithness. The Estates of 
Quarrelwood and Duffus thus came to be united. 
In the year 1588, the lands of Duffus, Quarrelwood, 
Grieshop, Brightmony, and Kinsteary, were all 
erected into the Barony of Duffus, by Crown pre¬ 
cept in favour of William Sutherland, then of 
Duffus, dated at Falkland, 2d August, that year. 
Alexander Sutherland, the grandson of the last 
mentioned laird, was created a Peer by the title of 
Lord Duffus, 8th December, 1650. He was four 

* The lands of Strabrok, long in possession of the Duffus 
family, were sold about this time to Crichton, ancestor of the 
Earl of Dumfries. (Douglas’s Peerage, Wood’s edition, page 448.) 


/ 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


67 


times married—1st, To Lady Margaret Mackenzie, 
eldest daughter of Colin first Earl of Seaforth, relict 
of John Master of Berridale; 2d, To a daughter of 
Sir Robert Innes of Innes (by neither of these 
ladies had he any descendants); 3d, Lady Margaret 
Stewart, second daughter of James fifth Earl of 
Moray, by whom he had a son, James second Lord 
Duffus, and two daughters; and, 4th, Margaret,*'' 
eldest daughter of William eleventh Lord Forbes, 
who had no issue. Alexander Lord Dufius died 31st 
August, 1674. In the year 1631, Alexander Lord 
Dufius purchased from William Earl Marischal the 
third part of the Barony of Dufius, and other lands, 
which had belonged to the Keith family for nearly 
three centuries, and in 1653 he acquired from 
Alexander Earl of Moray, his brother-in-law, the 
lands of Ardgay, Newton of Ardgay, the lands of 
Kintrae, Newlands of Kintrae, and Rosehaugh, with 
the Earls house in the Burgh of Elgin, afterwards 
called Dufius House, and Thunderton House. He 
was succeeded by his only son, James, second Lord 
Dufius, who married Lady Margaret Mackenzie, 
eldest daughter of Kenneth, third Earl of Seaforth, 
by whom he had four sons, 1st, Kenneth, who suc¬ 
ceeded him as third Lord Dufius; 2d, James, after¬ 
wards Sir James Dunbar of Hempriggs, from his 

* This lady was afterwards the first wife of Sir Robert Gordon, 
the Warlock Baronet of Gordonstown. 

E 2 


68 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


marriage with the heiress of that estate ; 3d, William 
designed of Roscommon ; 4th, John ; one daughter, 
Henrietta. At the time of the succession of James 
Lord Duffiis the estate was a very large one, em¬ 
bracing two-thirds of Duffiis, Ardgay, Quarrelwood, 
Newton, * Rosehaugh, Kintrae, and other lands, with 
the mansion-house in Elgin; Kinsteary and Bright- 
mony, in Nairnshire; Skelbo, Strathfleet, Pronsie, 
and others, in Sutherlandshire. Whether the estate 
was then clear of debt we do not know; from the 
extensive purchases of the previous lord, it may not 
have been so entirely. James Lord Duffiis was an 
unfortunate man. He killed Ross of Kindeace in 
the year 1688, under great provocation, and was for 
some time in concealment. He took the wrong side 
in politics, being opposed to the Revolution settle¬ 
ment, and trained up his family in Jacobite principles 
(except James, the second son, who was a cautious 
man, and took his own way, and who made a good 
family connexion for himself). He was expensive 
in his habits, and a bad manager of his affairs, and 
during the period of thirty years he possessed the 
estate he contrived to bring it to ruin. By the close 
of the 17th century, the properties were drowned by 
wadset rights. In the year 1702, a marriage took 
place between the Honourable William Sutherland, 

The lands of Newton being then in possession of the 
Dunbars, Lord DufFus had only a right of superiority. 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


69 


third son of James Lord Duffus, and Helen Duff, 
eldest daughter of William Duff of Dipple,* then 
carrying on a large business at Elgin and Inverness 
as a merchant and private banker. Mr. Duff was 
among the very few then in the country who, to any 
great extent, had the command of ready money, and 
he lent it out principally on mortgages or wadsets. 
Previous to this marriage, Mr. Duff had been making 
large loans on wadset to Lord Duffus, and the con¬ 
nexion between the families was much increased by 
that occurrence. Difficulties accumulated on Lord 
Duffus, and about this time he conveyed to Dipple, 
irredeemably, in part payment of the debt due to 
him, the lands of Quarrelwood, part of Leggat, Kin- 
trae, and other subjects, which have continued to be 
the property of the Duff family to the present time. 
James Lord Duffus died in 1705,+ having, in the 
previous year, conveyed the remainder of his estates 
to his second son, James Sutherland, afterwards Sir 
James Dunbar of Hempriggs, with the view of 
extricating his affairs, which, however, was found 
impossible. 

After the death of his father, the Honourable 


* The Contract of Marriage is dated at Elgin and Inverness, 
the 20th and 22d October, 1702. 

t According to an old manuscript at Duffus House, James 
Lord Duffus “died 24th September, 1705, about three o’clock in 
the afternoon.” 


Disposition to 
Hon. James 
Sutherland, 
dated 12th 
August, 1704. 


70 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


James Sutherland, finding it impossible to meet the 
burdens on the estate, made an arrangement with 
Archibald Dunbar of Thunderton for a sale of the 
whole Morayshire Estate to him. In implement of 
this transaction, in the month of March, 1708, he 
executed a disposition in favour of Mr. Dunbar, 
excepting Quarrelwood, and part of Leggat, and 
Kintrae, sold previously to Duff of Dipple. Mr. 
Dunbar kept possession until the year 1729, when 
he sold to the Duke of Gordon Ardgay, in Alves, 
and the parts of Leggat and Kintrae, in Spynie 
parish, belonging to him, with various other lands. 
The Duke retained the property until the year 1777, 
when he excambed Ardgay, Kintrae, Leggat, New¬ 
ton, and the Lordship of Urquhart, with the Earl of 
Fife, for his Lordships lands and fishings in the 
Parish of Speymouth. Shortly after this arrange¬ 
ment, Mr. Pose of Belivat, then Commissioner for 
the Earl of Fife, purchased for his Lordship the 
small Estate of Bosehaugh, which gave the Earl the 
whole western division of the parish, thus bounding 
the Estate of Quarrelwood with Westfield at the 
north, Bishopmill, Morriston, and Aldroughty at the 
south—a most valuable and compact estate. Since 
that period extensive improvements have been car¬ 
ried out by draining, fencing, planting, and many 
excellent steadings and farm houses have been built. 
The farms are now occupied by industrious and 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


71 


enterprising tenants. The farm of Rosebrae, to 
which I believe Leggat has now been added, has long 
been tenanted by Mr. Eric Gilzean, a skilful agricul¬ 
turist, and very worthy man, a representative of 
the old family of the Gilzeans of Coltfield, in the 
neighbouring Parish of Alves.'" 

The small farm of Hill of Quarrywood, or Laverock 
Loch, tenanted by Mr. Alexander Lawson, is curiously 
situated, in the midst of the extensive fir wood on 
the hill. Although within two miles of the town of 
Elgin, it is a spot of extreme solitude, and has the 
appearance of a clearance in an American forest. 

The eastern paid of the farm is the bed of an old 
morass. In the time of the Bishops, it was a moss, 
attached to Spynie, and called the Laverock Moss. 

When the peats were all dug out, it became a shal¬ 
low lake, on which the young men of Elgin used to 
skate in winter. By the growth of long grass in it, 
the loch was converted into a mere marsh, which was 
drained by Mr. Lawson some years ago, and is now 
converted into an arable field of some extent, in 
which all kinds of crops are grown. 

* I find that John Gilzean was served heir to John Gilzean, 
portioner of Cotfield, his grandfather, in the eighth part of the Abbreviate 
town and lands of Cotfauld, in the .Legality oi Kmloss, 17th —Elgin and 

Forres 

January, 1633. Thomas Gilzean is entered in the valuation roll 
of the county as a proprietor in Alves in 1667; and John Gilzean 
is entered in the valuation roll of 1744 as proprietor of part of 
Coltfield. The date of sale I have not exactly discovered. 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


70 


WESTFIELD. 


The Estate of Westfield consists of the lands of 
Inchbrock, Incliaggarty, and Westfield proper. The 
two former point to a period when the sea ebbed 
and flowed in the Lowlands of Moray, and when the 
lands of Westfield were submerged in the waves. 
The time when the sea receded from Westfield is 
uncertain, but it must have been within a compara¬ 
tively recent period, and when the Saxon or English 
laiiifua&e had taken root in the land. Previous to 
that time, Inchbrock and Incliaggarty had been 
islands of the sea. The former the Isle of Brocks, 
or Badgers, and the latter the Priest’s Island, deriv¬ 
ing its name from bein<r the residence of some 
solitary Culdee Priest, who spent his time in con¬ 
templation and devotion, issuing occasionally from 
his retreat to preach the pure word of life to a 
savage people. A late ingenious Elgin scholar was 
of opinion that the word Inchbrock signified the 
Island of Beavers, and not Badgers, as from its wet 
situation it was quite unfitted for the habitation of 
the latter animal. But if the beavers were ever in 
Scotland, it must be remembered that they did not 
like salt water, but preferred the banks of a running 


STATE OF PJCOPKfiTY. 


7 r> 

i -j 


stream of pure fresh water, well clothed with timber, 
where they could, hy their own ingenuity, form a 
suitable darn, and build their houses or burrows in 
their own peculiar way. The Estate of Westfield is 
described in the titles as follows:—“All and whole 

“ the towns and lands of Westfield and Indian- 

- 

“ garty, with the manor place, houses, laggings, 
“ yards, orchyards, mills, mill lands, parts, pendicles, 
“ and universal pertinents of the same, lying within 
“ the Parish of Spynie, and Sheriffdom of Elgin and 
“ Forres: As also all and whole the town and lands 
“ of Inchbrock, with the houses, biggings, yards, 
“ orchyards, tofts, crofts, parts, pendicles, and uni- 
“ versal pertinents thereof, as the same were formerly 
“ occupied and possessed by the deceased James and 
“ George Dunbar of Inchbrock, lying within the 
“ Parish of Spynie, Regality thereof, and Sheriffdom 
“ of Elgin and Forres, aforesaid, together with the 
“ teinds, parsonage, and vicarage, of said several 
“ lands, and the whole seats and lofts, and the 
“ burial-place belonging to the said lands in the 
“ Kirk of Spynie.” The lands of Inchbrock were 
Church lands, and continued in possession of the 
Bishops until the period of the Reformation, when 
that great dilapidator of the Bishoprick, Patrick 
Hepburn, feued the same, with consent of the Chap¬ 
ter, for a sum of two hundred rnerks, to Alexander 
Anderson, in Wester Alves, and Alexander Ander- 


74 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


Registrum 
Moravieuse, 
page 408. 


son, Burgess of Elgin, his son, and Bessy Gordon, 
his son’s wife. The lands seem to have been pre¬ 
viously possessed by Alexander Anderson, the father, 
as tenant. The feu-duty stipulated for was £3 17s. 
10d., with the fourth part of a mart, one sheep, one 
lamb, one fowl, one dozen of capons, one boll of oats, 
with fodder, and 13s. 4d. for two bolls of dry mul¬ 
ture. The charter is dated 16th February, 1562. 
Alexander Anderson, Burgess of Elgin, the son, sold 
the lands shortly after to George Dunbar, in Wester 
Alves, and Margaret Anderson, his wife, to be held 
from the Bishop on the same conditions as he himself 
held the same. This alienation was confirmed by 
charter from the superior. The Dunbars continued 
to possess Inchbrock until the close of the 17th 
century as a separate estate. I find George Dunbar 
was served and retoured as eldest son and nearest 
heir male of James Dunbar in these lands, holding 
feu of the Crown, as coming in place of the Bishop, 
on 27th February, 1694. This family of Dunbars 
seem then to have fallen down in the world, for Inch- 
brock was purchased at a judicial sale by Sir James 
Calder of Muirton, and conveyed by him thereafter 
to James Dunbar of Westfield, on 15th November, 
1703. The property has since been united to West- 
field, and has followed the fortune of the larger 
estate in its many changes which have since ensued. 

Westfield was never Church land, and the earliest 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


75 


accounts we have of the estate is that it belonged to 
the Earldom of Moray. Sir Alexander Dunbar, 
only son of James fifth Earl of Moray, by his wife, 
Isabel Innes, daughter of Sir Walter Innes of Innes, 
was unjustly deprived of the Earldom, on the ground 
that his mother was a second cousin of his father’s, 
and so within the forbidden degrees under the canon 
law. His father died before a dispensation could be 
got from the Pope. His half-sister, Lady Elizabeth 
Dunbar, was married to Archibald Douglas, third son 
of James seventh Earl of Douglas, and, by the great 
interest his family then possessed, obtained the Earl¬ 
dom, which, however, he forfeited in a few years, by 
joining his brother’s rebellion. Although Sir Alex¬ 
ander was deprived of the Earldom, he got from the 
Crown a large estate. He also got from Archibald 
Douglas Earl of Moray, and Elizabeth Dunbar, 
Countess thereof, a charter of the lands and Barony 
of Westfield, and other estates, in the year 1450. 
In this charter he is called brother of the Countess 
of Moray. In another charter from the Countess, in 
1455, he is called Sheriff of the County, and her 
beloved brother. He had large estates besides 
Westfield. He had the lands of Carnousie, Conzie, 
Durris, Tarras, Belnageith, part of Fochabers, Clunies, 
Moyness, Clava, Golford, and others. He married 
Isabella, daughter of Alexander Sutherland of Duffus, 
and by her had six sons and one daughter—1st, Sir 



76 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


James, his heir; 2d, Sir John, who married Margaret, 
second daughter of Patrick Dunbar of Cumnock and 
Mochrum; 3d, Alexander Dunbar of Conzie, of 
whom Dunbar of Mochrum is descended; 4th, Gavin 
Dunbar, Bishop of Aberdeen; 5th, David Dunbar of 
Durris; 6th, Patrick, Chancellor of Aberdeen. His 
daughter, Isabel, married Sir William Keith of In- 
verugie. From the above Sir James Dunbar, eldest 
son of Sir Alexander, first of Westfield, the estate 
descended in the male line to Ludovick Dunbar, who 
succeeded in 1721. He married Margaret, daughter 
of Boss of Braelangwell. He sold the heritable 
Sheriffship of Moray, which had been nearly 300 
years in the family, to Charles Earl of Moray, and 
conveyed the estate to Elizabeth, daughter of Alex¬ 
ander Dunbar, fifteenth laird of Westfield, by his 
wife, Margaret Calder, daughter of Sir James Calder 
of Muirton. He himself died without issue in the 
year 1744, and in him ended the whole male line of 
Sir James Dunbar of Westfield, eldest son of the 
first Sir Alexander Dunbar, Sheriff of Moray, who 
was only son of James Dunbar, fifth and last Earl of 
Moray of the name of Dunbar. Elizabeth Dunbar 
succeeded to the Estate of Westfield, and married 
Sir William Dunbar of Hempriggs, by whom she 
had one daughter, Janet, heir of line of the ancient 
family of Westfield. She married Captain Thomas 
Dunbar of Grangehill, and had issue two sons and a 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


77 


daughter. * They sold the estate to Sir James Grant 
of Grant on 1st June, 1769. Sir James did not 
keep the property long, having sold it to Joseph 
Robertson, Merchant in London, on 17th June, 1774. 
Joseph Robertson sold it to Francis Russell, Advo¬ 
cate, 24th October, 1781. Francis Russell conveyed 
it to Mary Bannerman, his wife, 30th January, 1803. 
Mrs. Russell sold it to Thomas Sellar, Writer in 
Elgin, 2d May, 1808. Mr. Sellar died in 1816, and 
was succeeded by his only son, Mr. Patrick Sellar, 
who was served and retoured heir to his father, 16th 
February, 1818, and the Trustees of Mr. Patrick 
Sellar, after his death, sold it to Hugh Maclean, 
Esquire, now of Westfield, by disposition, dated the 
5th, 6th, 12th, and 13th days of May, 1862. In 
less than a century the estate has changed proprie¬ 
tors no less than six times. When Mr. Thomas 
Sellar purchased the estate in 1808, it must have 
been in a very neglected and impoverished state, 
having been used by the three preceding proprietors 
principally for political purposes, and with no idea of 
improvement. He did a great deal during the short 
period he possessed it, and his son, Mr. Patrick 
Sellar, continued the improvements by draining, 
planting, and enclosing. An immense extent of 

* The family of Dunbar, until latterly, never resided at West- 
field, but, being Sheriffs of the County, had their residence in the 
Castle of Forres. 


78 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


hedges, with belts of wood, were planted, and the 
fields entirely remodelled, the small holdings done 
away with, and the estate put into four farms. Mr. 
Sellar kept the Mains Farm in his own hands until 
the time of his death, and his Trustees after him 
until the period of the sale to Mr. Maclean, so that 
it was then in the best possible condition, and highly 
farmed. The thorn hedges, however, owing to some 
peculiarity in the subsoil, have not succeeded so well 
as might have been expected, as they seldom do in 
Morayshire. During the seven years Mr. Maclean 
has had possession of the property, improvements 
have been carried on to a marvellous extent, and 
everything done for the estate that money, agricul¬ 
tural and scientific skill could devise. The drainage 
has been made perfect; steadings, on the most 
approved plans, erected; the mansion-house extended 
and improved; garden walls built; the hedges all 
put into the best possible order, and wire fences, of 
the best and most substantial description, put up in 
all directions where required. Roads have also been 
made of the most useful kind, and best materials, 
and kept in high order. Mr. Maclean has taken 
into his own hand about 380 acres of the estate, 
which he farms in the most approved and scientific 
manner, with all the latest improvements in ma¬ 
chinery and implements. In short, the estate is a 
model one, and no property in Scotland can be in 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


79 


better condition, or more highly improved. The 
only other farm on the estate is the large one, 
called Inchbrock, occupied by the heirs of Mr. James 
Robb, although it comprises much more land than 
was contained in that estate. It is well farmed, and 
Mr. Maclean has made very considerable improve¬ 
ments on it also. It is let at a rent of £500. 

We should have wished to have entered more 
particularly into the state of the improvements made 
on Westfield, but, in a small work like the present, 
we have no space for any extended narrative, and 
leave the subject, with a recommendation to other 
proprietors to do as Mr. Maclean has done. Money 
cannot be better expended than in the permanent 
improvement of the country, and the person who 
makes “ two blades of grass grow where only one 
grew before” is deserving of the highest respect and 
gratitude of his country.* 

Having now taken a survey of the estates on the 
north side of the hill, we cross over to the south 
side, beginning at the east end of the parish, with 
the Estate of Bishopmill. 


* Accounts of the improvements on the Estate of Westfield 
appeared in the Banffshire Journal of 21st June, 18G4, and in the 
Elgin Courant of 24th of same month and year, both very in¬ 
teresting. The improvements were not then completed, and it is 
hoped one or other of these able writers may favour the public 
with an account of the completion of these works. 


80 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


BISHOPMILL. 

The small property of BishopmilP has been so 
mixed up latterly with the improved lands of Myre- 
side, that it is now impossible to separate them. 
It was originally very small, comprising the ridge 
of land overlooking the Lossie, and extending only a 
little way back. It now forms a kind of semicircle, 
running back nearly three quarters of a mile between 
Deanshaugh at the east, and Morriston at the west. 

It is probable a mill was erected on the Lossie 
here as early as the time when Bishop Bricius settled 
at Spynie, in the year 1203. When the Episcopal 
seat was fixed there, the convenience of a mill must 
have been a matter of great importance. The first 
particular mention of it, however, does not occur 
until the year 1393, when there seems to have been 
a small village there, perhaps a few houses. It is 
stated to be near the town of Elgin. In the rental 
of the Bishoprick, in 1565, the lands are let to six 
tenants, at the gross rent of four pounds, three 
quarters of a mart, three sheep, four dozen of capons, 
three lambs, three fowls, three bolls of oats, with 

* This estate seems to have been known in ancient times by 
the name of Frankoklaw. 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


81 


fodder, nine bolls of dry multure, for grassum, and 
other services; a small croft at twenty-five shillings, 
six capons, one fowl, and 8s. 8d. of mart silver; four 
small houses, being the extent of the village, at 
twelve shillings, and twelve capons; the mill, with 
knaveship, and outsucken, at four pounds, one dozen 
capons, one pig, and the support of the mill. In the 
year 1566, Bishop Patrick Hepburn granted a charter 
of feu farm of the town and lands called “The 
Bischopis Mylne,” with the corn mill, the lands 
called “The Acris,” and four houses, called “The foure 
Cott Housis,” in the same town, to James Innes of 
Drainie, and Catherine Gordon, his wife, in liferent, 
and Bobert Innes, their son, and Helen Boss, his 
future spouse, in fee, with liberty of digging turfs or 
peats in the moor called “The Laverok Moss,” alias 
“ The Bischopis Moss,”—reserving to the Bishop, 
and all passing, the common road which goes from 
the Palace of Spynie to Elgin, and also the other 
road which goes by the cultivated land and the moor, 
towards “Bischoppis Mylne,” near the hill called 
“Cuthilbyrnye Hill.”* In the following century we 
find Bishopmill in possession of Alexander Dunbar, 
son of Bobert Dunbar of Burgie. He married a 
Margaret Ay ton, but had no issue, and, dying in 
1723, he left his estate to his nephew, John Dunbar 

* This name, “ Cuthilbyrnye,” appears to be now entirely lost. 
It would be difficult to say where this spot is. 

F 



82 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


of Burgie, Advocate, who died about the year 1750. 
His son, John Dunbar, sold the estate, with the 
Dean’s House'" in Elgin, to James Bobertson, Provost 
of Elgin. I find Mr. Bobertson enrolled as a free¬ 
holder, under the title of “ James Bobertson of 
Bishopmill,” in the list of freeholders of the County 
of Elgin for the year 1760. Mr. Bobertson did not 
retain the estate long, having sold it to the sixth 
Earl of Findlater, prior to the year 1770. The 
property has continued in his Lordship’s family ever 
since, with the exception of the mill and mill croft, 
which, for some time, belonged to Mr. James Miln, 
Banker in Elgin, but were acquired by the Earl 
again in the early part of the present century, and 
has lately been feued out, by the present proprietor, 
the Earl of Seafield, to Mr. John Allan, who carries 
on a large business at the mills in flour and meal. 

Shortly after the Earl of Findlater purchased the 
estate, his Lordship planted a considerable extent of 
moor ground, belonging to Bishopmfil and Myreside, 
with Scotch fir trees. These have since grown to 
maturity, and the soil, which was originally very 


* The Dean's House in Elgin, now called the North College, is 
the handsome residence of Alexander Robertson, Esquire, grand¬ 
son of Mr. James Robertson, and has been lately renovated and 
embellished by him. It embraces within its grounds six of the 
old Cathedral manses, viz. :—Botary, Inverkeithny, Treasurer, 
Croy, Chancellor's, and Dean’s Manses; is adorned with many fine 
old trees, gardens, and orchards, and has a pleasant sweep along 
the river bank. 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


83 


poor, has been so improved and ameliorated, that it 
has now been converted into tolerably good arable 
land. Part of this improved land has been allotted 
to the villagers of Bishopmill, and part has been 
added to the farm of Newfield, where a good stead¬ 
ing of offices has been built, and the land well en¬ 
closed with substantial stone dykes, at least thirty 
years ago. Another good farm has been lately made 
out, partly on Bishopmill and partly on Myreside, 
by grubbing out the fir trees, and trenching the 
ground. Mr. Smith, the tenant, has done the work 
well—enclosing the ground with stone fences, and 
erecting a handsome steading, with suitable dwelling- 
house. He has got a lease of the land for thirty- 
eight years—the first nineteen years at a nominal 
rent, and for the remainder of the lease at a mode¬ 
rate yearly sum. This is a very great improvement, 
ably and carefully carried out. 

In the year 1798, a village was laid off by the 
Earl of Findlater on the brow of the hill looking 
towards Elgin, and now part of the Parliamentary 
Burgh. I shall give a description of this village in 
a future part of this work, and therefore do not 
farther refer to it, except to mention that it has 
materially increased the value of the Estate of 
Bishopmill, tended to its improvement, and brought 
a very increased rental for its soil, great part of 
which is light and poor. 

F 2 



84 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


To the eastward of Bishopmill is the small pro¬ 
perty of Deanshaugh, belonging to Mr. Longmore, 
Writer to the Signet, Edinburgh. I have great 
oid statistical doubts, however, whether it is within the bounds of 

Account, vol. 

io, page 635 . the Parish of Spynie, but rather in St. Andrew’s. * 
As, however, it is generally reckoned in Spynie, it 
may be described briefly. In the end of last century 
these subjects belonged to Mr. John Ritchie, Mer¬ 
chant in Elgin, who erected on the Lossie a mill for 
the manufactory of tobacco, a waulkmill, a flaxmill, 
and bleaching machinery. This trade was carried on 
with considerable success. After Mr. Ritchie’s time, 
the property was sold to Mr. John Forsyth, Banker 
in Elgin, who left it to his only daughter, wife of the 
late Mr. Adam Longmore, of the Exchequer, and 
it now belongs to his son, Mr. Longmore, W.S. 
The manufactory of tobacco, flax, and bleaching, 
have, with the changes of the times, passed away, 
and the only work now carried on is a sawmill. Mr. 
Longmore has erected a very neat villa on the 
ground, and has planted a number of ornamental 
trees, with a variety of shrubs, and the place is kept 
in the greatest order and neatness by his present 
tenants. 

* The Parish of Elgin, perhaps, has the best claim to Deans¬ 
haugh, with the low lands adjoining, for it is perfectly apparent 
that at no very distant period the Lossie had flowed to the east¬ 
ward of it, and that it was then embraced in the Cathedral 
grounds. 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


85 


MORRISTON. 

This Estate was Church land, and belonged to the 
Bishop of Moray. It is bounded on the south by 
the Lossie, on the east by Bishopmill, on the north 
by Quarrelwood, and on the west by Sheriffmill. It 
is so blended now with the Earl of Fife’s other lands 
that its ancient boundaries can hardly be known. 
It consists of a haugh, of considerable extent, lying 
along the Lossie, of a light gravelly soil, with a 
considerable extent of hill ground. On the slope 
extending from the fir plantations to the road passing 
to Bishopmill, this hill ground had probably, at some 
distant date, been improved from the moor. The 
dwelling-house is very pleasantly situated on a rising 
ground, near the river, a fine, dry, warm, and shel¬ 
tered situation, having some young plantations, and 
a few old trees about it. The name of the property 
is written variously—“Murrastoun,” “Morristoun,” 
and “Murraystoun.”* The first notice we have of 
it is contained in a charter granted by David Bishop 
of Moray to William, the son of Adam, the son of 
Stephen, Burgess of Elgin, of the half davoch land 

* The property is also called Middlehaugh. Auchter Spynie, 
or Sheriffmill, was called Upperhaugh, and Burgh Briggs, Wester- 
haugh. (See Old Statistical Account, vol. 10, page 628). 


86 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


of “Medilhalch,” which lies between the land of 
Wthyrspyny (SherifFmiln), on the one part, and the 
land of Frankoklaw (Bishopmiln), on the other part, 
on the north side of the water of “Lossyn.” This 
charter is dated at Elgin, the 23d March, 1309, and 
the reddendo is four shillings annually, one-half 
payable at the feast of Pentecost, and the other 
half at the feast of Saint Martin, with other services, 
and the payment of the usual multure at the mill of 
Mallathy (supposed Bishopmill). The next charter 
is from William de Spyny, Bishop of Moray, without 
date, but supposed to he at or prior to the year 
1400, in favour of Megota de Moravia, daughter of 
John de Moravia, proprietor of these lands, on her 
marriage with John de Dolas. It is probable that 
from this family of Moray, or de Moravia, that the 
name of Moraystoun had been given to the property. 
The estate was in the following century possessed by 
Innes of Crombie, as a vassal of the Bishop of 
Moray, and it is contained in the rental of the 
Bishoprick in 1565. We find a charter of confirma¬ 
tion by Patrick Hepburn, Bishop of Moray, dated 
at the Palace of Spynie, 21st March, 1570, confirm¬ 
ing a sale by Alexander Innes of Crommye, with 
consent of Isabella Forbes, his spouse, in favour of 
John Annand, Provost of the Burgh of Elgin, and 
Janet Cumming, his spouse, of the lands of “Murras- 
toun,” which lie between the lands of Uchter Spynie, 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


87 


now called “Scherefemyln,” at the west, and the 
lands of “Frankoklaw”'* at the east, on the north side 
of Lossie, with the piece of land called Barrow 
Briggs, on the south side of Lossie. After the 
above description, the following words occur:— 
“ Beservand to me and my airs, ye haill hill callit 
“ the Hill of Murrastoun, as ye merche stanes sail 
“ be set in at ye end of the lang riggis descendand 
“ nort and sowt, except the quarrel thairof, and 
“ stanes to be win yairin, quhilk I will to stand in 
“ commountie to ye said Jhone and his airs.” The 
feu-duty payable to the Bishop is four pounds six¬ 
teen shillings. In the year 1606 , when Episco¬ 
pacy was restored in Scotland, the lands of Morris- 
ton seem, by some means, to have been recovered by 
Alexander Douglas, Bishop of Moray, and in the year 
1609 conveyed to Alexander Douglas, his son, and 
Mary Innes, his spouse, along with Spynie and 
Burgh Briggs. From Alexander Douglas the estate 
passed to Gavin Douglas, perhaps his brother, who 
had a great deal of property in Elgin. John Doug¬ 
las, his son, succeeded. I find John Douglas was 
served heir to his father, Gavin, in a great variety of 
burgh lands, before the Magistrates of Elgin, in 
1654 , and he was also served heir to his father, 
before the Sheriff of Elgin, in the half davoch land 


Old Statistical 
Account, vol. 
10, page 627. 


* This name, Frankoklaw, is now entirely lost. 



88 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


of Middlehaugh, or Morriston, on 28th December, 
1655. On 23d October, 1665, John Douglas wad¬ 
set these lands to Robert Martin, Writer in Edin¬ 
burgh, for 8260 merks, and in 1668 he discharged 
the right of reversion, and Mr. Martin became abso¬ 
lute proprietor. His right was confirmed by charter 
from Murdo Mackenzie, Bishop of Moray, the supe¬ 
rior, dated 22d October, 1672. Mr. Martin also 
acquired about the same time great part of the 
Douglas burgh lands, in and about Elgin. 

Mr. Robert Martin was a very remarkable public 
man in his day, and, as little is now known of his 
history, I shall here endeavour to state what I have 
found out about him. He was the son of Robert 
Martin, Burgess of Elgin, and received a liberal 
education from his father, who seems to have been a 
person of some substance. The date of his birth 
may have been about the years 1615 or 1620. Being 
bred to the law, he went to Edinburgh in early life, 
and, after having finished his education, he com¬ 
menced business there as a writer. He married a 
lady of the name of Jean Porterfield, well connected, 
and whose relations must have been influential. It 
is probable that by this marriage he acquired some 
fortune. Being a person of talents and very active 
business habits, he was early taken notice of, and 
attached himself to the extreme Presbyterian party, 
then in the ascendant, with whom he continued to 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


89 


act faithfully, and with the utmost sincerity of pur¬ 
pose, until the close of his chequered life. With 
the leaders of that party, Johnston of Warriston, 
the Marquis of Argyll, and others of the same class, 
he was on terms of intimacy, and entrusted with all 
their secret plans. Through the influence of these 
leaders he was promoted to the important office of 
Clerk of the Court of Justiciary, a most difficult 
post in these days of unceasing trials for treason and 
crimes. He acquired a considerable estate, and was 
possessed in property, or wadset, not only of the 
lands of Morriston, but also Kirktoun of St. An¬ 
drew's, Easter and Wester Caldcots, part of Bar- 
flathills, Kirkhill, Aikenway, Collie, Whitewreath, 
salmon fishings on the Spey, with Baxter’s Croft, 
and other lands in or near the Burgh of Elgin. He 
had also a right to Ladyhill from the Earl of Moray, 
and on the sunny side of that hill he erected his 
mansion-house, at the west end of the Burgh 
of Elgin, which, with gardens and stables, must 
have extended from Lady Lane downwards to near 
Auchry’s old Bead-House. A very beautiful spot it 
must have been before the present ugly, dirty lanes 
and closes were erected on the ground. There are 
still some remains of the house of the Martin family 
to be seen, consisting of old foundations. Mr. 
Martin was an enthusiast, and an ardent lover of 
civil and religious liberty. Up to the year 1660 , 


90 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


when the restoration of the Stuart family to the 
throne took place, he had liberty to act as he 
thought best, according to his own views, and, no 
doubt, discharged the duties of his office well. But 
when the Episcopal party got the entire ascendancy, 
in 1662, and the Presbyterian side entirely put 
down, he must have become a marked man, and 
deprived of his public situations. After this period 
he spent his time partly in Edinburgh, attending 
to his own business, and to the interests of his party 
in Church and State, and he was also a good deal at 
his residence in Elgin, looking after his properties 
in the North. He was a great friend of Lord 
Brodie, and was occasionally at Brodie House. In 
the diary of Lord Brodie we find many notices of 
Mr. Martin, of which we shall extract a few— 

“1671, May 17.— I heard that Torwoodlie was 
sickli of an excess. I did visit him at Leathen. 
He and Mr. Rt. Martin, and his wyf, cam heir with 
me at night.” 

“1672, September 28.—Mr. R. Martin, and divers 
others, cam heir at night. I heard of the Act that 
a master in his famili should not pray, if ther wer 
mor than 4 strangers in it.” 

“1673, April 17.— Mr. Robert Martin cam from 
Edinburgh, and told me the Parliament of England 
was rais’d quhen they wer passing some Acts.” 






STATE OF PROPERTY. 


91 


“ April 26.—Mr. Robert Martin, at Elgin, told 
me that Cromarti said to Robert Douglas that I 
had been seiking to be on the Session again, and 
that the President hinderd. I leav my vindication 
to God. He knows how fals it is, and that it never 
entered in my mind to desir it. Lord! look to thes 
men that delight in lies, and mak them asham’d.” 

“September 18.—This day I ended my shearing. 
Efternoon I went to Greiship to sie in what cace 
ther corns wer in, and met Mr. Rob. Martin. I 
heard from him, and from my brother, the trouble 
that honest peopl wer in at Edinburgh. That Mr. 
Andro Wedderburn was imprisoned for having mor 
than 5 at his famili exercis.” 

“September 22.—Mr. Rob. Martin went thenc 
towards the South. I writ by him to my brother, 
anent Laitherdail.” 

“ 1676, May 26.—I saw a lyn from Mr. R. 
Martin, to my brother, which informed him that I 
was ill reported at Court, and my famili greatli 
taken notic of, and that for conventicles highli.” 

“1679, August 11.-—Grange cam heir, and told 
me they had not made the address for the indulgenc, 
becaus others had com no speid. Ther was danger 
in seiking it. They had sent up Mr. Martin, and 
Calder, and Innes staid on advertizement and in- 
couragement.” 






92 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


I have no means of knowing whether Mr. Martin 
was in any way connected with the fight at Pent- 
land in 1666, but he was accused of being concerned 
with the rising which terminated in the skirmish at 
Drumclog, in 1679, and the unfortunate battle at 
Bothwell Bridge, the same year. This may be 
doubtful, for he seems to have been long a cautious 
man, and to have rather endeavoured to obtain the 
good of the country by constitutional means, and 
only in the end driven with his party to desperate 
measures; but it was the fate of the Boyal House 
of Stuart to go from bad to worse, until they ruined 
their own cause and family entirely, and lost the 
throne and kingdom. In the diary of James Brodie 
of Brodie we have the following notices:— 

“1680, September 1.—Mr. Bobert Martin was 
heir with us this night. I heard of their forward¬ 
ness anent absents from the host. It did not 
appear that I will be frie of troubl. Lord fit me 
for it.” 

“1681, June 29.—Had letters from my unci, 
Robert Martin, Polwart, &c.” 

“1682, April 12.—I was dispatching letters South 
to my aunt, to William, and Robert Martin.” 

“May 8.—I was writing letters to Edinburgh, to 
Mr. Martin.” 



STATE OF PROPERTY. 


93 


In the year 1683, Mr. Martin seems to have been 
much engaged in the conspiracy between Lords 
Russell and Essex, the Duke of Monmouth, Alger¬ 
non Sidney, and others, in England, and the Marquis 
of Argyll and other malcontents in Scotland, for 
altering the succession to the throne. In the same 
year occurred the Rye House plot in England, which 
had for its object the assassination of King Charles 
II., and his brother, James Duke of York. Mr. 
Martin was accused of being concerned in this 
business, and, it is believed, very unjustly; but it 
is quite true that he continued actively employed 
as a commissioner between England and Scotland, 
and did all in his power to promote a rebellion in 
both countries, with a view to setting aside James 
Duke of York from the throne—a cause for which 
Lord Russell, and Algernon Sidney, in England, and 
Robert Baillie of Jerviswood, and many others, 
suffered death in the year 1684. In the autumn 
of that year, Mr. Martin escaped to Holland, being 
in danger of his life by continuing in Britain. He 
was reported to have died at that time. As early 
as the month of June, 1684, there is the following 
entry in the diary of James Brodie of Brodie :— 
“ I heard formerly of the death of Mr. Robert 
Martin, and som other passages of Providence anent 
his children.” This entry was, however, premature. 

King Charles II. died in February, 1685. Mr. 


Brodie Diary, 
page 491. 



94 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


Wodrow’s His¬ 
tory, Glasgow 
edition, vol. 4, 
page 230. 


Pountainliairs 
Notes, quarto 
edition, p. 131. 


Wodrow.vol. 4. 
pp. 276 and 277. 


Martin was then in Holland; and in the spring of 
that year the Earl of Argyll made preparations for 
his ill-fated expedition to Scotland, which sailed on 
the 1st May, and ended in ruin and defeat, and 
Argyll’s being brought to the block. On the 17th 
March, that year, Mr. Martin, having been frequently 
cited to appear before the Court of Justiciary, and, 
failing to do so, to answer for his being accessory to 
the Rebellion in 1679, and the Rye House plot in 
1683, was, with others, declared a rebel and fugitive, 
but the Act was not to be extracted until 16th May 
following. Mr. Martin died either in April or May, 
in Holland, being exhausted by weakness, disease, 
and increasing years, and the troubles of these 
distracted times. Sir John Lauder has the following 
entry in his notes:—“Mr. Robert Martin, plotter, is 
dead before 22d May, 1685.” Wodrow writes as 
follows, under date 22d May, 1685:—“That same 
“ day, in the afternoon, the ditty read and found 
“ relevant against Pol wart (Sir George Hume), Tor- 
“ woodlee (Pringle), and the heirs of Mr. Robert 
“ Martin. The Register read the Act of Parliament 
“ relating to forfeiture for treason in the predecessor. 
“As to the heirs of Mr. Martin, the probation was 
“ voted good, and sentence passed, at which the 
“ Bishops renewed their motion, and did not vote, 
“ and doom was pronounced as in the forenoon.” 



STATE OF PROPERTY. 


95 


The same sentence is recorded by Fountainhall, on Fountainhaii, 
the same date.' 1 ' Pagel31 ‘ 

We may place Mr. Martin in the same category 
with Russell, Sidney, Baillie, and the Earl of 
Argyll. Although in humble life he was their coad¬ 
jutor; and, had he been taken, he would assuredly 
have perished on the scaffold. He died from the 
effects of toil, weariness, and incessant labour, in the 
cause for which they suffered, and we may therefore 
safely pronounce him a martyr for the rights and 
liberties of his country. 

Mr. Martin’s estates were all forfeited to the 
Crown; but his wife, Jean Porterfield, had the 
influence, through her friends, to procure a gift of 
the lands of Morriston in favour of herself, which 
is dated at Whitehall, the 9th November, 1686. 

By the 18 th Act of William and Mary, the forfeit- Acts of Scots 

Parliament, 

ure was rescinded, and John Martin, the eldest son^^j^JJ 1 . 

• • • • First 

of the family, made up a title as hem to his father, Parliament of 
by retour dated 1st December, 1691. John Martin M yr> ca P- 18 - 

J Abbreviatio 

would appear to have executed a conveyance in R voiuufeaT’ 

Elgin and 
Forres. 


* Sir John Lauder’s very curious notes are the best and most 
impartial account of these distracted times. They commence in 
1680, and end in 1701, and, being the testimony of an eyewitness, 
are particularly valuable. If any person is inclined to look back 
to these times, as the good old days of the Royal Stuarts, they 
will find nothing but hanging, quartering, tortures, and every evil 
which a high-handed arbitrary Government could inflict on a 
down-trodden nation. 


96 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


favour of his mother in 1691, and probably died in 
1692. Mrs. Martin, his mother, was infefted in 
1696, and was a party to a contract of marriage 
between her son, William Martin, Writer in Edin¬ 
burgh, and Margaret Lockhart, only daughter of 
Mungo Lockhart of Harwood, dated 4th March, 
1704. Mrs. Martin, by that deed, dispones to her 
son the lands of Aikenway, with salmon fishing; the 
lands of Collie, Hillfold, and White wreath; the lands 
of Kir k town of St. Andrew’s, Kirkhill, Easter and 
Wester Calcots, Middlekaugh, or Morriston, Lady 
Hill, crofts and roods of land about Elgin; and 
Margaret Lockhart dispones to William Martin, and 
herself, and the longest fiver of them, in liferent, 
and the heirs male or female of the marriage, the 
lands of Little Harwood/'* Cowhill, and Dybog. 
The Martin family were not prosperous. By the 
year 1750, the most of their lands had been sold, 
and what remained, viz., the Estate of Harwood, in 
the West of Scotland, and Morriston, with part of 
Barflathills, Baxter’s Croft, and some other crofts 
about Elgin, were drowned in debt, and a process 
of ranking and sale having been brought by the 
creditors, the lands were sold by the Court of 
Session, and Morriston was purchased by William 
Earl of Fife, in the year 1756. In his Lordship’s 


* Harwood is said to be in the West of Scotland. 




STATE OF PROPERTY. 


97 


family the property has remained ever since, and 
makes an excellent addition to their lands in this 
parish, having a fine frontage towards Elgin. 

At the time of the sale there were six small 
tenants on the estate, paying in cumulo a rent of 
seventy-six bolls of grain and seventy-four fowls. 
They were— 


BOLLS. 


John Spence, 

. 14 

David Forsyth, . 

. 14 

John Russell, 

. 20 

Do.,* 

. 12 

James Naughty, . 

. 2 

James Duncan, . 

. 14 


FOWLS. 

14 

14 

20 

12 

0 

14 


76 


74 


In the year 1764, the small tenants were removed, 
and the farm was let for nineteen years to Mr. 
William Donaldson. He was a descendant of the 
family of Macdonald of Glencoe. His grandfather 
escaped from the massacre in 1692, and, having 
settled in the lowlands, changed his name to Don¬ 
aldson. Mr. William Donaldson was three times 


* John Russell, tenant at Morriston, was the father of the 
Rev. John Russell, minister, first at Kilmarnock, and afterwards 
of Stirling, who has been immortalised by the graphic pens of 
Robert Burns and Hugh Miller—a good man, but having very 
marked peculiarities of character. He was also the grandfather 
of our townsman, Major-General John Alves, a monument to 
whose memory has been lately erected in the west entrance hall 
of the Parish Church of Elgin. 


G 






98 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


married, and had a very large family. His first wife 
was Margaret Tod. Among other children by her 
he had a son, William, who married, in 1776, Sarah 
Shaw, daughter of the Rev. Lauchlan Shaw, Minister 
of Elgin, and historian of the Province of Moray. 
By her he had a numerous family, of whom one son, 
Mr. Lauchlan Donaldson, late Mayor of St. John, 
New Brims wick, born 1786, is still alive, at the age 
of eighty-three, and last year visited his native land, 
hale, active, and vigorous, and left in Elgin various 
substantial marks of his regard for the place of his 
birth. By his third marriage, with Jane Allan, Mr. 
William Donaldson had a daughter, who was married 
to the late Colonel Robert Ray, Bishopmill. Mr. 
Donaldson’s lease expired in 1783, and the farm was 
taken by Mr. James Duncan. Both in Air. Donald¬ 
son’s and Mr. Duncan’s time, it was principally 
worked as a dairy farm, and to good account, being 
quite in the proximity of Elgin, and more connected 
with the town then than now, there being a road 
across the Lossie, by a shallow ford, near Mr. 
Grigor’s hedge, for carts, and a slight foot-bridge 
for passengers, which united both sides of the river. 
Mr. Duncan occupied the farm till his death, some 
time in the early part of the present century. He 
had an only daughter, Margaret Duncan, a young 
woman of great beauty. She had many wooers, 
and eventually married James Rose of Geddes and 



STATE OF PROPERTY. 


99 


Flemington, heir male of the family of Kilravock, 
by whom she had three daughters. The eldest, 
Margaret, was married to the late Mr. Hugh Watson 
of Keillor, the eminent agriculturist, and great judge 
of stock; the second daughter, Elizabeth, married a 
relative of Mr. Watson’s, went abroad with her 
husband, and died there; the third, Mary, died un¬ 
married. After Mr. Duncan’s death, the farm was 
taken by the late Mr. John Lawson, Oldmills, in 
whose time the fields were all enclosed with sub¬ 
stantial stone fences. Mr. Alexander Lawson now 
occupies it, but, from its being so adjacent to his 
farm of Oldmills, he works it from thence, and the 
steading at Morriston has been almost entirely re¬ 
moved. The dwelling-house, although old, has 
always been kept in good repair, and, from its plea¬ 
sant situation, with lawn and well-stocked garden, 
has always commanded very respectable tenants. 

On the east end of the property of Morriston, 
the Earl of Fife, about the year 1819, feued out 
some acres of ground, extending from the banks of 
the Lossie northwards, on the march of the Bishop- 
mill Estate, to the late Admiral Archibald Duff, 
on which the Admiral erected a large substantial 
dwelling-house, looking towards Elgin, with commo¬ 
dious offices and stabling. The situation is a very 
pleasant one, dry and healthy, with a very extensive 
view, having the river Lossie for a boundary at the 

G 2 


L OF C. 


100 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


south. With a moderate outlay, it might be made 
very beautiful, having a fine slope to the river, but 
its capabilities have been neglected. It now belongs 
to Admiral Duff’s successor, Mr. Gordon Duff of 
Drummuir. 


BUEGH BEIGGS. 

This property, called also Westerhaugh, is the only 
part of the Parish of Spynie situated on the south 
side of the Eiver Lossie. It consists of a fine piece 
of flat land, of rich alluvial soil. From its situation, 
close to the town of Elgin, it is of great value, but 
not adapted to building purposes, on account of its 
low position, being frequently flooded by the river. 
Tradition states that it was formerly on the north 
bank of the Lossie, but I have seen no record of this, 
and if so, it must have been prior to the year 1570, 
for it is then stated, in a charter of Bishop Hepburn, 
to be on the south side of the river, and is described 
as follows:—“ Pecia terrse vocata Burrowbriggis ex 
australi parte de Lossin.” This land, with the 
adjoining Haugh of Morriston, and part of Oldmills, 
has all the appearance of being the bed of a lake 
at some remote period; indeed, until lately, there 
was much water on it, and several small lakes, and 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


101 


it is only by the more perfect drainage of a recent 
date that it has been kept clear of water. The 
word “briggs” means ridges of land, and the name 
evidently arises from the fact that at one time the 
high parts of the land had been alone cultivated, 
with intervals of water between. It was formerly 
connected with the Estate of Morriston, and con¬ 
sidered one property up to the time when Morriston 
was sold to Robert Martin, since which time they 
have been separated. Prior to the Reformation, 
the land was held in feu from the Bishop of Moray 
by Innes of Crombie, and, about the year 1570, was 
sold to John Annand, Provost of Elgin. The sale 
was confirmed by Bishop Hepburn, by charter 
granted that year. In 1606 the property was re¬ 
acquired by Bishop Alexander Douglas (when Epis¬ 
copacy was restored), and in 1609 granted by him 
to his son, Alexander Douglas of Spynie. In the 
possession of the Douglas family it remained until 
the close of the 17th century, when it was acquired 
by John Sutherland of Greenhall, a cadet of the 
family of Duffus. He was succeeded by his son, 
Lawrence Sutherland, who sold Burgh Briggs, along 
with Myreside, to the Earl of Findlater, about or 
shortly after the year 1760, and it now belongs to 
his Lordship’s successors, the Earls of Seafield. The 
old divisions between the Parishes of Elgin and 
Spynie being totally obliterated, the lands of Burgh 


Resgistrum 
Moravieuse, 
page 414. 


Old Statistical 
Account, vol. 
10, page 627. 


102 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


Briggs are now united with the ground pertaining 
to the Blackfriars’ Monastery, the history of which is 
very obscure, but it seems to have stood upon a 
higher part of the ground, in the Parish of Elgin, 
and the building was probably erected as early as 
the time of King Alexander II. No remnant of it now 
remains, and of the form and size of the building 
nothing is known. There is some appearance of an 
old run of the river in a direct line eastward from 
Mr. Grigor’s ground, at Blackfriars’ Haugh, and 
turning gradually a little south till it reaches where 
the Episcopal Chapel now stands. If this is correct, 
and tradition points to it, some part of Mr. Grigor’s 
ground must be in the Parish of Spynie, although 
his titles bear that Blackfriars’ Haugh is entirely in 
Elgin. The wording of titles is, however, no correct 
criterion, and we may therefore, with justice, claim 
the north-east angle of his property, with the offices, 
and the “weeping elm,” reckoned one of the finest 
specimens of its kind in the kingdom, with the 
thriving Wellingtonia plant, to belong to the Parish 
of Spynie—the line of the river passing near the 
north end of Mr. Grigor’s house. This is the tradi¬ 
tion of the country, but, as I have already stated, 
I have seen no written record on the subject. The 
river has changed its course considerably during the 
last forty-five years. In Clark’s view of Elgin, 
published in 1824, the river, after leaving Black- 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


103 


friars’ Haugh, ran a little more westerly than now, 
and there was a shallow ford in the stream between 
Burgh Briggs and Morriston, and a small island in 
the centre, while the eastern bank formed a large 
green. The river has gradually forced itself easterly, 
and the green on that side has, in great part, been 
carried away, while the island is now on the west 
bank, and has been planted by the Earl of Fife, 
although the old water course is still quite distin¬ 
guishable. The river, at this point, instead of being 
fordable, is now very deep, and can only be passed 
by the handsome suspension foot-bridge, which was 
erected a few years ago by public subscription. For 
carriages and horses there is now no passage here. 

The land of Burgh Briggs has been much im¬ 
proved by drainage, and is now comparatively dry 
to what it was some years ago; but, to perfect the 
drainage, the fall would require to be carried through 
the Grant Lodge park, and allowed to pass into the 
river near Deanshaugh. If such an improvement 
were made, it would increase the value of the land 
much. 

About the year 1820 , a part of this property, on 
the west side, but almost entirely in the Parish of 
Elgin, was given off to the two ministers of Elgin 
for a glebe, in lieu of the former glebe at Harvey’s 
Haugh, the latter being more convenient for the 
Earl of Seafield, as adjacent to his house of Grant 


104 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


Lodge. There was then a fine row of old ash trees 
on the west side, which Lord Seafield cut and sold 
before making over the land to the clergymen. One 
solitary tree, on his own ground, was reserved, but 
that one, as if wretched in its solitude, soon sickened 
and died. The land has, for some time, been well 
farmed by its present tenant, Mr. William Culbard, 
who, having an unlimited command of manure, 
raises very rich crops on the kindly soil. 

Before closing these remarks, we may state that 
the Earl of Seafield, about fifteen years since, gave 
off about two acres of ground on the east end of 
Burgh Briggs, as a recreation ground to the inhabi¬ 
tants of Elgin, in lieu of a right of foot-path which 
the people of the town formerly had at the back of 
Grant Lodge garden. This small park is used prin¬ 
cipally as a cricket green for the young men of the 
town, and for other amusements, and has also a 
pleasant footpath leading to the river, and is found 
very convenient and useful, and conducive to the 
health of the town’s people. 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


105 


SHERIFFMILL. 

The lands of Sheriffmill are beautifully situated, 
having the Lossie for their boundary at the east and 
south, Aldroughty on the west, and the fine oak 
forest at the north, sheltering it from the cold 
northern blasts. It has a light gravelly but kindly 
soil, and, with abundance of summer showers, it 
produces good crops of all kinds of grain. The old 
name of the property is Auchter or Uchter Spynie, 
and it has also been called Upperhaugh. The first 
notice we have of this property is contained in a 
grant from Andrew Bishop of Moray, to Walter de 
Moravia, Lord of Duffus,* of a site for a mill on the 
Lossie, dated the 6th of the Ides of October, 1237. 
The words of the charter are—“Dedisse et conces- 
“ sisse et hae carta nostra confirmasse Waltero de 
“ Moravia, et heredibus suis, unum situm Molendini 
“ super Lossy, in terra nostra de Uchterspyny.” 
The mill was accordingly erected by the family of de 
Moravia, and until nearly our own time continued a 

* The descendants of the family of Moravia are still the 
highest in rank in Scotland. Among others, are the ducal houses 
of Sutherland, Athole, Hamilton, and Buccleuch, and the late 
Dukes of Douglas and Queensberry, and many nobles of less rank. 


Registrum 
Moravieuse, 
page 133. 


106 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


Registrum 
Moravieuse, 
page 145. 


separate estate from the lands, as we shall have occa¬ 
sion to show hereafter. The mill is also mentioned 
in a charter by Archibald Bishop of Moray, to 
William de Fedreth, and Dame Christiana de Mora¬ 
via, his wife, who had rights to it, as proprietors of 
the third of Duffus. This charter is dated at Kin- 
neddar, in Moray, on the Sabbath day next before 
the feast of All Saints, in the year 1294. With 
regard to the lands. The earliest notice of the lands 
is contained in a charter by David Bishop of Moray, 
dated at Elgin the 23d March, 1309, in favour of 
William, the son of Adam, the son of Stephen, Bur¬ 
gess of Elgin, whereby he confirms to him the whole 
land of Wtyrspyny, in excambion for the lands of 
Qwytford and Innerlothy*, the mill of Innerlothy 
and Milton, but reserving the site of the mill, which 
is called the mill of the Sheriff of Elgin, upon the 
water of Lossyn. This is the first notice of the name 
Sheriffmill, which may have arisen from the family of 
de Moravia being Sheriffs of the shire of Elgin, and 
of their successors, the Cheynes, being Sheriffs of 
the shire of Banff. In a charter by Bishop Hepburn, 
in 1570, the lands get the name of Uchterspynie, 
but are there said to be now called “Scherefemyln.” 
In the rental of the Bishoprick, in 1565, the pro- 

* The lands above referred to are probably Whitefield and 
Inverlochty. If there was a mill at Inverlochty, the fall of water 
in these days must have been much greater than now. 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


107 


prietor, or vassal, is called “ Alexander Urquhard,” 
Provost of Forres, perhaps Urquhart of Burdsyards. 
In the year 1639, Sheriffmill was purchased by 
Thomas Calder, Merchant in Elgin, a descendant of 
Calder of Assuanlie, a cadet of the house of Calder. 
He was Provost of Elgin in 1665 and 1669. He 
was succeeded by his son, Sir James Calder, who 
acquired the Estate of Muirton, in Kinloss Parish, 
and who was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia, in 
1686. Either he or his father erected the fine old 
turreted mansion in the High Street of Elgin, 
exactly where North Street and the Assembly Booms 
now stand, which, with its extensive gardens behind, 
must have been a very handsome residence. 

Sir James Calder, and William King of Newmiln, 
carried on a very large foreign trade from the port of 
Findhorn, exporting barley, malt, hides, tallow, cured 
beef, salmon, and other commodities, and importing 
wines, brandy, tobacco, sugar, spices, dried fruits, 
and various other articles, in return. The business 
must have been a large one, and the export of malt, 
in particular, was great, previous to the union with 
England. Sir James Calder was succeeded by his 
son, Sir Thomas, who married, in 1711, a daughter 
of Sir John Scott of Ancrum, by whom he had a 
family. His father had left the estate much em¬ 
barrassed, and Sir Thomas was unable to keep it. 
William Duff of Dipple, father of William first Earl 


108 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


of Fife, acquired the estate in the beginning of last 
century, and it still continues the property of the 
Earl of Fife. The mill of Sheriffmill has gone 
through many more changes. Being a part of the 
Estate of Duffus, on the failure of the family of de 
Moravia, it fell, in the proportion of two-thirds, to 
Reginald Cheyne, and one-third to William de 
Fedderet. In the end of the 15 th century, the 
proprietors of the mill were—the Earl Marischal, 
Douglas of Pittendreich, and Sutherland of Duffus. 
In 1631, Earl Marischal sold his third to James 
Sutherland, Tutor of Duffus, and in 1659 Alexander 
Lord Duffus purchased from Sir Ludovick Gordon 
of Gordonstown, the successor of Douglas of Pitten¬ 
dreich, another third, so that the whole mill and mill 
lands then belonged to the Duffus family, and con¬ 
tinued in their possession until 1707, when, with 
the rest of the Duffus Estate, they were sold to 
Archibald Dunbar of Thunderton. His successor, 
Archibald Dunbar of Newton, sold the mill to 
William Lord Braco, in 1740, who settled it upon 
Arthur Duff of Orton, his youngest son. The late 
Sir Archibald Dunbar re-purchased the mill formerly 
pertaining to the Duffus Estate, from Mr. Arthur 
Duff, about the end of last century, and sold it to 
the late James Earl of Fife, on 22d June, 1818. 
The mill and adjoining estate are, since that date, 
one united property, belonging to the Fife family. 



STATE OF PROPERTY. 


109 


In the latter part of last century, the farm of 
Sheriffmill was occupied by James Walker, Doctor 
of Medicine, a very eccentric person, who had been 
a practitioner in Elgin of the old school. He had 
married the dowager Lady Westfield, and settled at 
Sheriffmill. His mode of farming was to keep the 
land exceedingly clean, to drill the crops, and use 
no manure. In the Old Statistical Account of the 
parish, we find the following statement regarding Dr. 

Walker’s farming:—“It will not be deemed improper 
“ to take notice of the cultivation of the farm of 
“ Sheriffmill, rented by James Walker, Esq., M.D. 

“ This gentleman, in the early part of his life, 

“ entered, with all the ardour of enthusiasm, into 
“ the horse-hoeing husbandry, on the plan of Jethro oid statistical 

Account, vol. 

“ Tull, in which he has ever since persevered with io,page63i. 
“ unfailing steadiness, raising crops of wheat, barley, 

“ and beans, without a particle of dung, always fol- 
“ lowing the intervals (about three feet) for each suc- 
“ ceeding crop, and thus completely demonstrating 
“ the effect of cultivation without the use of manure. 

“ Although every operation has been performed with 
“ the nicest accuracy, and in its proper season, and 
“ though the soil of Sheriffmill seems to be well 
“ calculated for this kind of husbandry, being light 
“ and sandy, yet the result has not been such as to 
“ encourage imitation. The corn is indeed superior 
“ in quality to any in the country, but the quantity, 


110 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


“ by the acre, much less than is raised in the broad- 
“ cast way, on the same kind of soil, well ploughed 
“ and manured.” 

Dr. Walker died about the end of last century, 
or beginning of the present one, and was interred in 
the Elgin Cathedral, not far from the west gate, on 
the right hand side of the entry. His tombstone 
was very small, with the simple words, “ James 
Walker, M.D.,” on it. The stone has been removed, 
and some other occupant has seized the ground, and 
so the worthy doctor has now nothing to mark where 
his ashes were laid. Since his time, more than one 
tenant has possessed the farm. Latterly it has been 
occupied, along with the mill, by the late Mr. John 
Lawson, and now by his son, Mr. Alexander Lawson. 
By the late Mr. Lawson the farm has been entirely 
enclosed with substantial stone dykes, and laid off 
in neat and regular fields. The land is now laboured 
from the adjoining farm of Oldmills, and the steading 
here is not required. The old farm-house, the man¬ 
sion of the estate, was long occupied by respectable 
tenants. The last of them was the late Mr. James 
Mellis, long tenant of Spynie, who died here some 
years ago, at a very advanced period of life. Since 
his death the venerable dwelling has been entirely 
removed, and all vestiges of it carried away. 

On the west end of the Estate of Sheriffmill, and 
not far by the road from the lower mill, although, 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


Ill 


by the windings of the river, at a considerable 
distance, for the stream here takes a most tortuous 
course, stands Scroggiemill. It is only an oatmeal 
mill. It is well situated, with a great command of 
water, but seems now to be of little use or value. 
I have not found out when this building was erected. 
It has no appearance of any great antiquity, and 
perhaps is not older than the early part of last 
century. It was likely built by the Earl of Fife, 
for the accommodation of his tenants, before he 
acquired Sheriffmill. The removal of this mill would 
be a great improvement to the country. On the 
bank, above the mill, there are beautiful situations 
for small villas. The ground looks due south, warm, 
and sunny; protected from the north winds by the 
Quarrywood plantations, and having a delightful 
view of the windings of the river. It is wonderful 
that such pleasant sites have not long since been 
eagerly purchased, or taken on feu. 


112 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


ALDEOUGHTY. 

This is the most westerly Estate in the parish, being 
bounded partly by the Lossie, and partly by the 
lands of Inverlochty and Mosstowie, at the south, 
Sheriffmill at the east, Quarrelwood at the north, 
and the Parish of Alves at the west. It consists of a 
long narrow field, extending along the river, at the 
east side, of light sandy land. At the west side the 
land is of a rich alluvial soil, and bears excellent 
crops, but liable to be flooded in wet weather. The 
name Aldroughty, or, as it was written of old, 
“Aldrochty,” is said to mean the mischievous burn. 
This is not very applicable to its present state, for 
there is now no burn here; but it may have meant 
the Lossie, which, in ancient times, running on a 
higher level, and with a stronger current, may have 
both flooded the lands, and cut its banks more than 
now, or the water of Lochty, now entering the Lossie 
farther up, may have, in days of old, done so here, 
or some of the Mosstowie bums may have then 
terminated their course at this spot. In short, with 
so many changes, it is useless to conjecture what the 
origin or cause of the name may be. The house of 
Aldroughty is pleasantly situated, on a high bank 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


113 


above the river, and is a conspicuous object from a 
considerable distance. 

This estate was Church land, and part of the 
Bishoprick of Moray. It seems, however, to have 
been early feued out, and in the 14th century was 
held of the Bishop by a family of the name of 
Sibbald. An inquisition was held at Bishopmiln, 
on the penult day of August, 1393, before the 
Bishop, and a jury of sixteen, among whom we find 
the names of Sir Robert Chisholm, John de Dolles 
of that ilk, and Alexander Innes of Innes, by which 
it was found that Robert Sibbald died vest, and 
seised, as of fee, in the lands of Aldroughty, with 
the pertinents. The Bishop must, however, have 
afterwards resumed possession of this estate, for I 
find that Bishop Patrick Hepburn, with consent of 
the Chapter, on the last day of March, 1554, 
granted an assedation of “Meikle Innerlochtie and 
Auldrochtie,” in favour of David and Thomas Hep¬ 
burn, in liferent, for payment of £4 13s. 4d. yearly, 
in money, besides grain and other rents. After the 
Reformation, this property, with many others, was 
conveyed to James Earl of Moray, Regent of Scot¬ 
land, by Bishop Patrick Hepburn, by which he 
secured his own comfort and safety, and a right to 
dispose of the remaining lands of the diocese as he 
thought fit. In a charter of feu farm and novo 
damns, granted by Alexander Douglas, Bishop of 


H 


114 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


Moray, in favour of James Earl of Moray, Lord 
Doune and Abernethie, about the year 1606, we 
find, among a long list of estates, the lands of 
Auldrochtie thereby conveyed, the feu-duty pay¬ 
able annually being £4 13s. 4d. of money, three 
quarters of a mart, two sheep, two lambs, two geese, 
twelve capons, two bolls of oats with fodder, three 
bolls of barley for dry multure, and £1 11s. l-|d. for 
grassum, every three years. About half a century 
after this, Aldroughty seems to have come into 
possession of Lord Duffus’s family, perhaps in the 
year 1653, when Lord Duffus purchased Ardgay and 
other lands from the Earl of Moray. In the latter 
part of the 17th century it was in possession (along 
with Mosstowie, which it joins), of the Honourable 
William Sutherland of Roscommon,* third son of 
James second Lord Duffus. This gentleman married, 
in the year 1702, Helen Duff, eldest daughter of 
William Duff of Dipple, and sister of William Earl 
of Fife. He was an imprudent man, like his father, 
and most of the family. He joined the Rebellion 
in 1715, and his estates were forfeited. Previous to 
this time he was largely indebted to his father-in- 
law, Dipple. I find the following securities granted: 


* This place, Roscommon, appears to be lost, but it was pro¬ 
bably some part of the Estate of Roseisle, then belonging to Lord 
Duffus, which he conveyed to his third son. 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


115 


1. Heritable bond, for £1800 Scots money, by 
William Sutherland, to William Duff of Dipple, on 
the lands of Aldroughty, dated 19th January, 1710. 

2. Heritable bond of relief, for 5300 merks, dated 
10th May, 1711. 

3. Heritable bond in the lands of Aldroughty and 
Mosstowie, for £14,000 Scots, dated 8th January, 
1714. 

On these securities Dipple was infeft, and, as early 
as the year 1713, had entered on possession of the 
estates, and drawn the rents. I have now before me 
a rental of Mosstowie, contained in an account be¬ 
tween Duff of Dipple and James Anderson of 
Linkwood, Commissary Clerk of Moray, his factor 
and agent, to which the following note is attached: 
—“The rents of Oldroughtie, for 1713 and 1714, 
were payed to James Anderson, and discharged by 
Diple.” After the Rebellion of 1715, we hear 
little more of the Honourable William Sutherland. 
He must have left the country, and, if he did return, 
it was as a ruined, broken-hearted man. There is a 
tradition that he was harshly treated by his father- 
in-law, and there is an old rhyme, which I have 
heard repeated by a friend, long since dead, whose 
knowledge of ancient times exceeded that of any 
other I ever knew. I give it from memory— 

H 2 




116 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


Aldroghty* will get his winding sheet, 

And Bracot will get nae mair; 

Better sit at hame at your ain fireside, 

Than greet and gather gear. 

Mr. Sutherland seems to have died shortly after 
this time, and left no family. His widow, Helen 
Duff, better known by the name of Lady It os- 
common, was well cared for by her father, and by 
her brother, William Lord Braco, afterwards Earl 
of Fife. She had the mansion-house or Castle of 
Quarrelwood for her residence, and a suitable allow¬ 
ance from her husband’s estate, and was much re¬ 
spected. From what tradition reports of her, she 
had much of the strong sense of her father’s family. 
She was alive in 1736, and may have lived many 
years after that time. After her death the Castle of 
Quarrelwood was permitted to go to decay, and was 
at last converted into a quarry, its materials being 
used for erection of farm-houses and other buildings. 
The foundations were only finally removed about 
thirty years ago. 

Duff of Dipple, having large securities on Al- 
droughty and Mosstowie, claimed, from the Commis¬ 
sioners of the forfeited estates, to be put in possession 

* Aldroughty is meant to represent Mr. Sutherland. 

t Braco is intended for Duff of Dipple, who succeeded as heir 
of entail to his nephew, William Duff of Braco, in 1719, and 
himself died in 1722. 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


117 


of these properties, under the deeds which he held 
from his son-in-law, William Sutherland, and I find 
special instructions given by him to his agent, Mr. 
Ludovick Brodie, Writer to the Signet, to that 
effect, on 4th June, 1717. Dipple made good his 
rights, and got possession of both Mosstowie and 
Aldroughty, which continue to be the property of 
his descendant, the Earl of Fife, to the present day. 

Mr. Shaw, in his History of Moray, states that 
Aldroughty, for generations, belonged to a family of 
the name of Nairn. After the most anxious search, 
I can find not the least trace of such a family, and, 
if there was, they must have been only tenants. A 
family of the name of Hepburn had Aldroughty, 
either as tenants or feuars, under the Bishops and 
Earl of Moray, during the end of the 16th and part 
of the 17th century. They were also proprietors of 
the adjoining lands of Inverlochty, of the lands of 
Tearie, in Dyke, and part of Birnie. They were 
illegitimate descendants of Bishop Patrick Hepburn. 
The male part of this family eventually settled in 
the south of Scotland; but in the female line they 
have still many representatives in the North. They 
were respectable people, and attained a considerable 
position in the country. Eventually Inverlochty, as 
well as Aldroughty, was acquired by the Duff family. 

In the latter part of last century, the farm of 
Aldroughty was tenanted by Mr. Alexander Donald- 


118 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


son, the eldest son of Mr. William Donaldson, at 
Morriston. He married a sister of the late Mr. 
John Lawson, at Oldmills, and had three sons and 
a daughter, all dead long since. In the present 
century it has been occupied by Mr. William Mur¬ 
doch, who had been in Calcutta. He left it in the 
year 1829. It was then tenanted by Mr. George 
Taylor, who erected the present handsome house, at 
a very considerable expense; planted trees and 
shrubberies, and laid off a fine early garden, of 
excellent soil, sloping pleasantly to the river, of 
which we have many agreeable recollections in by¬ 
gone days. Mr. Taylor gave up the farm in 1841, 
and it was taken by Mr. William Turnbull, who 
possessed it until 1864, when he died. Mr. Turnbull, 
although not a native of the parish, had spent the 
years of his boyhood and youth there, under care 
of his relative, the Rev. Alexander Brown, minister 
of Spynie, and was much attached to it. He was 
educated for a surgeon, and went into the service of 
the East India Company. After serving his full 
time in India, he returned to his native land, in 
vigorous health, but for some years had no settled 
home. He eventually took up his abode at Al- 
droughty, where he spent the last thirteen years of 
his fife. He was an excellent scholar, a great 
reader, and kept himself well informed in the best 
literature and the new publications of the day. 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


119 


He was a lively, pleasant person, social in his habits, 
enjoyed the society of his friends, and was very 
hospitable ; in short, a fine specimen of the East 
India gentleman of the old school, most of whom 
have now passed away. The farm is now tenanted 
by Mr. George Leslie, Sheriff-Clerk of Elginshire, 
who keeps it in great order and high condition, and 
has, at considerable expense, and with great skill, 
completed the drainage. 

We have stated before that the house is pleasantly 
situated on the banks of the Lossie, which, being 
dammed up by the mill of Scroggiemill, immediately 
adjoining Aldroughty, gives the river the appearance 
of an extensive lake. It is indeed a very beautiful 
sheet of water, and, having such a fine stretch of 
woodland all along the north side of it, no more 
pleasant spot can be found in the country. It has 
all the advantage of being near the town of Elgin, 
while, at the same time, it is quite secluded from it, 
and it forms a most romantic, retired residence. Up 
to the year 1830, the old road from Elgin to Forres 
passed at the back of Aldroughty, and not only cut 
up the fields, but brought a number of stragglers to 
the place. The shutting up of this useless road has 
been a great advantage, and has added to the beauty 
and seclusion of the place. 

There is a small retired farm immediately to the 
westward of Aldroughty, situated in an opening of 


120 


STATE OF PROPERTY. 


the wood, at the foot of the Knock of Alves. It is 
a very pretty retired spot. According to the Ord¬ 
nance Survey, this is now reckoned in the Parish of 
Spynie, hut I have great doubts whether it should 
not be in the Parish of Alves. I believe the Ord¬ 
nance Surveyors have fixed on the Burghead turn¬ 
pike as the boundary between Spynie and Alves, 
and it no doubt would prove a most convenient 
division; but this would throw a part of the Estate 
of Newton into Spynie, which is quite incorrect, 
the whole of Newton being in Alves; while it 
would, lower down, throw a small portion of West- 
field, which crosses the Burghead road at one point, 
into Alves Parish, and this also would be incorrect, 
Westfield being entirely in the Parish of Spynie. 

Having now taken a survey of the whole estates 
in this parish, although in a very imperfect way, we 
will, in their order, take up various other subjects, 
and, in the first place, we would turn to one of the 
most prominent features of the parish. 


THE PALACE OF SPYNIE. 


There have been much difference of opinion and 
many learned controversies as to the time when 
Episcopacy was introduced into Scotland. It is not 
probable the point will ever be cleared up. It is 
certain, however, that Diocesan Episcopacy was not 
settled, nor the Pomish Hierarchy introduced, before 
the reign of Malcolm Canmore, say the close of the 
11th century, and it was not in full vigour until the 
reign of David I. The Culdee Church owes its 
ruin to Margaret, wife of Malcolm Canmore. She 
laboured, during her own life, for the introduction 
of Pomish prelates and monks, and, although she 
had perhaps slight success, she impressed her princi¬ 
ples so strongly on her sons, Alexander and David, 
successively Kings of Scotland, that they carried 
them fully out. Margaret was a Saxon Princess, 
and was a great admirer of the Pomish system (of 
which she had seen much in England), and of the 
ascetic life which many of the clergy of that Church 
professed to follow. In Scotland, everything was 
different. The Culdee clergy were married; the 
sons frequently succeeded their fathers in Church 


122 


THE PALACE OF SPYNIE. 


livings, and it had, in many instances, become a 
hereditary priesthood. This had a bad effect on the 
clergy, and there can be no doubt that there was a 
great decline in the ancient Church. The question 
may be asked, therefore, was the change to the 
Romish Church a right and prudent one? We are 
loath to answer in the affirmative, but we fear it 
must be stated that it was a prudent resolve at that 
particular period. It substituted a strong Church 
for a weak one; it created a counterpoise to the 
power of the nobility, and it raised up a protection 
to the poor man against the rich and great. The 
tenants of the clergy had peace and comfort under 
the wing of their masters, and much charity and 
hospitality were exercised in the land. The Culdee 
clergy, however, struggled hard against the change, 
and the Government did not venture to put them 
down with the strong hand. It was only by slow 
degrees, and after the lapse of more than a century, 
that they disappeared. Some traces of the ancient 
Church even appear down to the time of King 
Robert Bruce. The Roman Catholic Church had 
therefore undisputed authority in Scotland for a 
period of only 350 to 400 years. 

Bishop Keith states that the Bishoprick of Moray 
was founded by King Malcolm Canmore. There is 
no trace of its existence, however, and even then a 
very feeble one, until the reign of Alexander I., 


THE PALACE OF SPYNIE. 


123 


about the beginning of the 12th century. Of the Keith-Rus- 

, ... sell ’ s Edition- 

first three Bishops—Gregory, William, and Felix— pp. 135,136. 
we know almost nothing. The fourth Bishop, Simon 
de Tonei, was a monk of Melrose, and is supposed to 
have been an Englishman. He lived at Birnie, 
which was then the Cathedral Church, and died, and 
was buried there, in the year 1184. The fifth 
Bishop, Bichard, is said to have died at Spynie, 
where probably there was some kind of residence, 
in the year 1203, and was buried there. He was 
succeeded by Bricius, the sixth Bishop, a son of the 
great house of Douglas, whose mother was of the 
family of de Moravia, to which connection perhaps 
he owed his appointment. This Bishop was a man 
of talents, and had more ambitious views than his 
predecessors, who, perhaps, led rather a migratory 
life, sometimes at Birnie, Kinneddar, Spynie, and 
elsewhere within the diocese, and making little 
pretensions to dignity and style of living. Bricius, 
during his time, added much to the revenues of the 
Bishoprick, and took a high position in the country. Keith, pages 
He went to Borne to attend a Council in the year 
1215, and had a safe conduct from the King of 
England. He procured the Cathedral, formerly 
undefined, to be fixed at Spynie, and founded a 
Chapter of eight Secular Canons, giving to the 
Cathedral a constitution, founded on the usage of 
Lincoln, which he ascertained by a mission to Eng- 



124 


THE PALACE OF SPYNIE. 


land. He brought with him five brothers into 
Moray, for whom he made provision by donations of 
land, or Church benefices. He may be said to have 
been the founder of the great house of Douglas, 
hardly known previously in history, He died at 
Spynie, and was buried there, in 1222. The Cathe¬ 
dral Church erected at this time seems to have stood 
where the Parish Church was, a warm, sunny spot, 
looking to the south, and remarkably well situated. 
It certainly was of no great size. Whether Bishop 
Bricius was the founder of the Palace, on the north 
side of the hill, we do not discover, but the proba¬ 
bility is that he was so, and, if such was the case, 
the choice of situation does credit to his taste. The 
loch was then connected with the sea, and the situa¬ 
tion must have been very grand—the tide washing 
the north foundations. It is well described by Shaw, 
Shaw’s rnstory as “situated on a rising ground, upon the south bank 
“ of the Loch of Spynie; in a pure air; a dry and 
“ warm soil; commanding a view of the loch, and of 
“ the fertile plains of Kinneddar and Dufius, to the 
“ north and north-west, and of the plains of Innes, 

“ and the winding of the river Lossie, to the east 
“ and south-east; within a mile of the Cathedral; 

“ in view of, and but two miles from the sea.” The 
Palace of Spynie seems to have been built on a 
regular plan, but perhaps was the work of successive 
Bishops. It formed nearly a square, fifty yards in 



THE PALACE OF SPYNIE. 


125 


length, by forty-four in breadth. It had four towers. 
On the north side there was a postern gate, entering 
on the loch, from which persons could go by water to 
the opposite side, or, at an early period, to the sea. 
The gateway was particularly handsome, fronting the 
east, and the remains of it are still striking, It is 
supposed to have been erected by Bishop John Innes, 
who was consecrated at Avignon, in 1406; his arms 
and initials were upon it. It was fortified by an 
iron portcullis. The great tower was built by Bishop 
David Stewart, between the years 1461 and 1475. 
It is said to be sixty feet in height, upwards of fifty 
feet in length from north to south, and nearly forty 
in breadth from east to west. The north, west, and 
south walls of the great tower are fully ten feet 
thick, and on the east side, looking towards the inner 
court, where defence was less required, the wall is 
only four feet thick. In the vaulted rooms below, 
the wall was pierced for cannon; above were the 
state rooms, in successive stories, with an easy wind¬ 
ing stair to the battlements. The chapel stood on 
the south side; the stables and offices on the east 
wall; and the north, and part of the west sides, had 
bed-rooms, cellars, and store-rooms. The court was 
very spacious, as it still shows. The precinct is said 
to have contained ten acres, and was enclosed with 
a high wall, and within it gardens, having the finest 
fruit trees imported from foreign countries, with 


126 


THE PALACE OF SPYNIE. 


extensive pleasure grounds and walks. The two 
eastern towers were also mounted with cannon, 
which commanded the entrance gate. When fin¬ 
ished, it must not only have been a very strong 
fortress for these times, but the most magnificent 
Episcopal residence in Scotland. The great tower, 
even in its present ruined state, is a most imposing 
object. The Castle or Palace was inhabited by the 
Roman Catholic Bishops of Moray up to the period 
of the death of Patrick Hepburn, which took place 
on 20th June, 1573. Notwithstanding the Refor¬ 
mation, in 1560, he had the influence to retain the 
most of the temporalities during his life. After his 
death, the Palace was possessed by George Douglas, 
the first Protestant Bishop, who was consecrated 5th 
February, 1573. He is said to have lived for sixteen 
years, and died about 1589 or 1590. In 1590, 
Alexander Lindsay, fourth son of David ninth Earl 
of Crauford, was created Lord Spynie, and got a 
grant of the Bishop lands, and among others, of the 
Palace of Spynie. He never resided there, and 
committed the charge to John Innes of Leuchars, 
and Alexander Innes of Cotts, as his Constables. 
In 1606, when Episcopacy was restored, the Crown 
re-purchased the lands of the Bishoprick and the 
Palace, and which were made over to Alexander 
Douglas, the new Bishop, who continued the Con¬ 
stabulary in the hands of Innes of Leuchars and 


THE PALACE OF SPYNIE. 


127 


Cotts. This management continued until 1623, 
when John Guthrie of Guthrie, having succeeded to 
the diocese, Innes of Cotts resigned the Constabu¬ 
lary, as appears by a renunciation executed by him 
at Edinburgh, 20th November, 1623. John Guthrie 
was deposed by the General Assembly, 1638, and left 
the Palace in 1640, not to return, for he died at his 
own house of Guthrie, in Forfarshire. In 1660, it 
was restored to Murdo Mackenzie, minister of Elgin, 
then appointed Bishop, and was held by him, and 
his successors, until the Revolution of 1688. The 
last Bishop who occupied it was Colin Falconer, who 
died 11th November, 1686, and who was among the 
best of his order in Scotland. Although he had two 
successors, they never entered into possession, and 
the Revolution put an end to Episcopacy as the 
established religion. 

Having already stated, in a preceding part of 
this narrative, under the head of the Estate of 
Spynie, what has since occurred to the Palace, we 
have only farther here to express our regret that 
such a magnificent building, among the finest in 
Scotland, should have been permitted to be demo¬ 
lished by the country people, without an effort made 
to save it by the Crown. It would have been an 
excellent residence for any nobleman or gentleman, 
and, from its proximity to Elgin, and situation in so 
fine a locality, would have been most convenient. 


128 


THE PALACE OF SPYNIE. 


It is hoped that the present noble proprietor, who 
has begun to preserve the ruins, will go the length 
of putting a roof on the great tower. It might 
even be re-floored, and fitted up internally, made 
useful for many purposes, and preserved to future 
generations, as a splendid monument of our Epis¬ 
copal architecture. 


THE REGALITY OF SPYNIE. 


A Regality was a grant from the Crown in favour of 
individuals or corporate bodies, of regal jurisdiction 
within a certain specified locality, both in matters civil 
and criminal. The Lord of Regality could re-pledge 
or withdraw any person residing within his own limits 
from trial before another court, for whatever crime he 
might be there indicted, except in the case of treason 
against the Sovereign. It is very strange how the 
Kings of Scotland could have granted such dangerous 
powers to any subject, and yet it was so lavishly 
given away that a great part of the kingdom was 
converted into Regality, and so the Crown was 
stripped of its highest authority. It gave a power 
of life and death to the Lords of Regality, and 
made them, in a great measure, arbitrary Sovereigns 
within their little territory. When a tenant or vassal 
of a Lord of Regality was brought before another 
court, such as the High Court of Justiciary, or a 
Sheriff Court, for murder, theft, or other heinous 
crime, his over lord, on proof being given that he 
was his tenant, vassal, or indweller within the bounds 
of his estate, could at once claim him to be tried by 


i 


130 


THE REGALITY OF SPYNTEL 


Miscellany of 
Spalding Club, 
Editor’s 
Preface, 
vol. 2, page 47. 


Erskine’s 
Institutes, 
Book I., 
Title 4th, 
sections 7, 8, 9. 


himself, but, if he did so, he was bound to try him 
for the crime within twelve months. These grants 
were given freely both to temporal and spiritual 
lords. The learned Editor of the Miscellany of the 
Spalding Club thus expresses himself on this sub¬ 
ject—“It was in favour of the Church that these 
“ high and dangerous jurisdictions were first granted, 
“ and it may be matter of surprise that it was not 
“ before the middle of the 15th century that a prelate 
4 4 of such influence as the Bishop of Moray obtained 
“ the erection of the temporality of his wealthy see 
“ into a regality. In 1451, King James II. created 

“ the whole lands of the Church of Morav into the 

¥ 

“ Barony of Spynie, and in the succeeding year the 

“ same monarch erected the baronv into a full or free 

¥ 

“ regality or royalty, in favour of the Bishop of 
“ Moray, and his successors/' The jurisdiction ex¬ 
tended over the Bishop's lands in the shires of Elgin, 
Nairn, Inverness, Boss, Banff, and Aberdeen, and 
comprehended, among other lands, no fewer than 
nine baronies, viz.:—Kinneddar, Spynie, Bimie, Baf- 
ford, Ardclach, Keith, Kilmylies, Strathspey, and 
Minmore. The powers of regality were usually 
exercised bv a Bailie, who also issued brieves for 
service of heirs. The civil jurisdiction was in all 
respects equal to the Sheriff but the criminal powers 
were greater, for the Bailie of Begality could judge 
in the four pleas of the Crown, whereas the Sheriff 










THE REGALITY OF SPYNIE. 


131 


was competent to none of them but murder. We 
have no records of how the Regality Courts of Moray 
were conducted, except for a short period after the 
Reformation, when Lord Spynie got the temporality 
of the Bishoprick, and Innes of Leuchars was Bailie 
of Regality. There is an old register still extant of 
the proceedings of the Court, commencing 8 th Janu¬ 
ary, 1591, and ending 5th June, 1602. The Courts 
were sometimes held upon the water-side of Lossie, 
in the Churchyard of Elgin, and in the Chapter- 
House of the Cathedral. This dangerous jurisdiction 
was continued more or less through the 17th and 
first half of the 18th century, and contributed much 
to keep up feudal rights, and the lawlessness of the 
country. It appears, however, that after the Refor¬ 
mation, Churchmen were not allowed to exercise the 
powers of Lords of Regality; but, being heritable 
rights, they were allowed to sell them to laymen, 
which they generally did. The office of hereditary 
Bailie of the Regality of Spynie eventually came 
into the possession of the Dukes of Gordon, and was 
sold, in the year 1723, by Alexander Duke of Gordon, 
to Archibald Dunbar of Thunderton, for 2000 merks. 
The disposition is dated 23d August, 1723, and in- 
feftment followed, in Mr. Dunbar’s favour, on the 
30th of same month and year. In 1747, when 
the hereditary jurisdictions were abolished by Act 
of Parliament, the Duke of Gordon, who still seems 

I 2 


132 


THE REGALITY OF SPYNIE. 


to have retained some interest in the Regality of 
Spynie, claimed £2000 sterling for the value of it, 
but he was paid only £500. Since that time these 
judicatories have entirely ceased, with much advan¬ 
tage to the country.* 

* Besides the Regality of Spynie, there were various others in 
the country, but of much less extent, such as Kinloss, Pluscarden, 
Grant, Huutly, Lovat, Grangehill, and others. At the trial of the 
famous James Macpherson, and Donald and Peter Brown, for 
robbery and oppression, before the Sheriff of Banff, on 7th 
November, 1700, a claim was put in on behalf of the Laird of 
Grant, as Lord of Regality, for re-pledging the two Browns as 
his vassals, and subject to his jurisdiction. After a long discus¬ 
sion, the Sheriff repelled the claim of the Laird of Grant, and 
sustained himself judge, notwithstanding the offer to re-pledge, 
and remitted the case to an assize. Macpherson was condemned 
to death, and the Browns also, but Macpherson alone suffered. 
The Browns escaped probably through the influence of the Laird 
of Grant, their over lord. There was a great feeling in favour of 
Macpherson, who was condemned principally for being an Egyptian, 
vagabond, and oppressor, on very slight evidence, which would be 
now-a-days entirely rejected. There was a feeling against the 
Laird of Grant for not exerting himself to save Macpherson, and 
hence the satirical rhyme— 

The Laird of Grant, that H Aland saunt, 

Of miclit and majestie, 

He pled the cause for Donald Brown, 

And let Macpherson dee. 

For an account of this curious trial, see New Statistical Account 
of Scotland, volume 13, pages 22, 23, 24, 25, and Chambers's 
Domestic Annals of Scotland, volume 3, pages 233, 234, 235, and 
236. Macpherson has been immortalised by the fine ode of 
Robert Burns. The Laird of Grant here referred to, and digni¬ 
fied with the name of “Saint,” was Ludovick, the seventeenth 


PARISH CHURCH OF SPYNIE. 


The subject of Parochial Churches in Scotland is 
involved in considerable obscurity, and even the time 
when the country was lotted off into parishes is 
doubtful. It is supposed that about the reign of 
Alexander I., between the years 1107 and 1124, 
the parochial system was first established, although 
not completed until the reign of his successor, David 
I., and even later. There were certainly no parishes 
in Scotland in the time of the Culdee Church, which 
seems to have consisted of various central establish¬ 
ments, such as Iona, Abernethy, Dunkeld, Brechin, 
Deer, Monymusk, and others, under the headship of 

chief of the family. He succeeded to the estate in the year 
1663, and married Janet Brodie, only daughter of Alexander 
Brodie of Lethen, by whom he had a large family. He lived 
through the trying times of the Covenanters and the Revolution, 
and took a distinct stand for liberal and constitutional principles. 
He and his wife were both pious, excellent people. In the year 
1685, he was fined in the sum of <£42,500 Scots, for holding 
strict Presbyterian views. He joined the Revolution in 1688 with 
hearty good will, and, with his clan and followers, contributed to 
bring about the conclusion of the war which followed that event. 
He was proprietor of the estate for the long period of fifty-four 
years, and, after witnessing so many changes in Church and 
State, he died at Edinburgh, in the year 1717, at a good old age. 


Wodrow’s 
History, 
yol. 4, 

pages 193,194 


134 


THE PARISH CHURCH OF SPYNIE. 


an Abbot, who sent out missionaries to preach the 
gospel, in different directions, without any regular 
settlement. The churches of these days were gene¬ 
rally built of wood, or with stone and clay of 
a very temporary nature. Parishes were therefore 
not in existence until the time when the Romish 
Hierarchy was established in Scotland, in the 11th 
and 12th centuries. The arrangement of parishes 
is very curious. They seem to have been lined off 
in the most capricious manner, without regard to 
compactness or convenience, but according to the 
arbitrary wishes of the resident proprietors or ecclesi¬ 
astics of the day. Spynie does not differ in this 
respect from other parishes, for, although pretty 
regularly laid off at the west end, at the east it runs 
into a mere angle, quite narrow. At what period 
the Parish Church was first erected we have no 
trace. It very likely was long before the time of 
Bishop Bricius, and it perhaps was at first a wooden 
building, or a clay-wattled house, very common at 
that time. When the Bishops had no fixed seat, 
but moved about from Birnie to Spynie, and from 
thence to Kinneddar, as their necessity required, and 
had an occasional residence at Spynie, it is likely 
that a stone church, similar to Birnie, may have 
been erected, and which was called the Church of 
the Holy Trinity. When Bishop Bricius fixed the 
Cathedral at Spynie, and obtained the consent of 


THE PARISH CHURCH OF SPYNIE. 


135 


the Pope to that effect, a church of some size must 
have been built; but so far as we know there is not 
now existing any document containing an account 
of the style of building, of the size, or nature of the 
architecture. It must have been in some degree 
ornamental, and likely was erected on the present 
site of the churchyard, than which no better place 
could be found, having a fine southern exposure, 
looking towards Elgin. When the Cathedral was 
removed to Elgin, in the year 1224, Spynie would 
again fall to the level of a Parish Church; but as it 
continued to be the seat of the Bishop, and as the 
population around it long continued to be large, and 
consequently a considerable attendance, it must have 
been kept up in rather a superior style. Whether 
the Cathedral Church fell into ruins at the Reforma¬ 
tion, and was re-placed by a simple Presbyterian 
one, there is no record. All that remained of the old 
Parish Church was a gable, in the Gothic style of 
architecture, which, not being kept in repair, fell 
about twenty years ago, and all trace is now lost of 
the building to which it appertained.* Mr. Shaw 
states there was an exhorter of the Protestant faith 
here in 1570, but, as the last Popish Bishop only 


* The old Parish Church was seventy-four feet long, and 
thirty-five broad, or 2590 square feet, including walls. The belfry 
was erected in 1723, and it, as well as the cut stones forming the 
doorways of the old church, were removed to the new church. 


136 


THE PARISH CHURCH OF SPYNIE. 


died in 1573, this is improbable. Dr. Scott, who is 
perhaps more accurate, writes that the first Protes¬ 
tant minister was Andrew Young, who was settled 
here in 1574. The population at the east end of the 
parish having gradually declined in numbers, a move¬ 
ment was made shortly after the year 1730 to have 
the place of worship removed to Quanywood, where 
there were not only a number of small tenants, but 
two villages, viz., Quarry wood and Dykeside, contain¬ 
ing great part of the population of the parish. Mr. 
William Dougal, being then minister, was anxious 
to have the Church removed, and he was seconded 
in this by Ludovick Dunbar of Westfield, one of the 
elders, and by Mrs. Sutherland of Poscommon, then 
living at the Castle of Quarrelwood, both persons 
of great influence in the parish. It met, however, 
with great resistance from parties living near the old 
church, and the matter was not consummated until 
the year 1736, when the minister entered the new 
church and manse. The church then erected is a 
very plain building, in the old Scotch style, strict 
economy being followed, as was the practice of that 
day; it has no ornament on it, except a dial placed on 
the south side, by one of Mr. DougaTs sons, who had a 
turn for mathematics. 45 ' The church looks due south, 

* The dial has a margin of four inches all round. On the 
upper part, on the curve, is engraved “ Johannes Dougall, fecit, 
1740.” 


THE PARISH CHURCH OF SPYNIE. 


137 


and has a back aisle to the north. It may hold 
about 400 people. The manse was a good old- 
fashioned house, in the Scotch style, without any 
ornament. On the lintel of the front door were cut 
the letters “W. D., 1736, K. K.,” being the initials 
of the minister and his wife. Falling into decay 
about thirty years ago, the heritors, rather than re¬ 
pair the old one, erected a very commodious and 
substantial new manse in the year 1840. The gar¬ 
den round the manse is large and good. Although 
the church and manse were removed to Quarrywood, 
the glebe, for some time, continued at Spynie; but, 
as this arrangement must have been very incon¬ 
venient for the minister, it was long since removed 
to Quarrywood, and a glebe designed there. It con¬ 
sists of six acres. The minister’s stipend is ninety- 
one bolls of meal, ninety-one bolls of barley, with 
£5 8s. 3d. for vicarage, and £8 yearly as allowance 
for a grass glebe. As the population of the parish 
has again receded from Quarrywood, and is mostly 
on the south side of the hill, it is probable that at 
no distant period a demand will be made for a new 
church, in a more centrical and convenient situation, 
and better adapted for the wants of the population, 
the inhabitants of Bishopmill being compelled, on 
account of the distance from the Parish Church, to 
attend at Elgin. 

Various sums have been mortified by charitable 


138 


THE PARISH CHURCH OF SPYNIE. 


individuals, at different times, for the poor of the 
parish. These are— 

1. A mortification by Mary Bannerman, Lady 
Findrassie, of about £50, to the general poor, which 

see had accumulated, in 1798, to £111 2s. 6d. It was 

Leslie & Grant’s 

S Moray° f under charge of the Magistrates of Elgin, and the 
p a 0 e id. p r0 p r i e t 0rs of Bishopmill, Westfield, and Findrassie. 
This mortification fell to the Parochial Board of the 
parish, under the Poor Act, and was extinguished. 

2. Bequest by William Duff of Dipple, of £1000 
Scots, for poor of Pluscarden, in Elgin Parish, and 
Quarry wood and Dykeside in Spynie, dated 7 th 
May, 1720, registered 30th October, 1722. 

3. The Bev. William Dougal, minister of the 
parish, bequeathed 300 merks Scots; one-half of the 
interest for the poor, and the other half to purchase 
Bibles for poor children. 

4. Katherine Dougal, daughter of the Bev. Wil- 
SessionRecord, liam Dougal, by will dated 14th August, 1793, 

bequeathed to the parish the sum of £20 sterling, 
for the purpose of educating two girls successively 
entering school at the age of six or seven years, and 
to be two years taught in English reading, writing, 
and the common rules of arithmetic, and other two 
years in knitting stockings and sewing white seam. 
The girls to be lawful children of Presbyterian 
parents, and instructed in Presbyterian principles. 



THE PARISH CHURCH OF SPYNIE. 


139 


The charge of the donation to be with the minister 
and Kirk-Session, to settle the money in some pro¬ 
per way, that the annual rent be forthcoming for the 
foresaid purpose, and she desired that the part of 
her will relating thereto be registered in the proper 
records of the parish. 

5. George M‘ Cummins or Mackimmie of Black- 
heath, in the County of Kent, who died the 16th Session Record, 

J 30th May, 

June, 1800, by testament, dated 20th September, 1803 * 
1796, left to the poor of Spynie the sum of £200, in 
three per cent. Consols, to be held in trust by the 
minister and elders, and the clear yearly interest to 
be used for the relief and benefit of such poor per¬ 
sons residing within the parish, and not receiving 
alms thereof, and in such parts, and at such times, as 
the minister and elders for the time being shall 
direct and approve. 

The funds of No. 2 are under charge of the Kirk- 
Session of Elgin; those of Nos. 3, 4, and 5, are 
administered by the minister and elders of Spynie. 

There have been fifteen ministers settled in this 
parish since the Beformation, giving an average of 
nearly twenty years to each incumbent. Some of 
them have, however, been very short, while others 
have had long periods of incumbency. In the pre¬ 
sent century there have been five different ministers. 

The longest incumbencies have been the Rev. Samuel 


140 


THE PARISH CHURCH OF SPYNIE. 


Tulloch, from 1660 to 1706, and the Rev. William 
Dougal, from 1721 to 1760. 

The bell of the Parish Church was brought from 
the old church. It bears the following inscription:— 

“ This Bell—For the Pearis of Spynie. 

“Me Fecit, 1637. Soli Deo Gloria. 

“ Michael Borgertwys. 

From the maker’s name, it is supposed the bell had 
been cast in Holland, the great commercial country 
of that period. It is ornamented round the edga 
This bell is said to have been the gift of John Guth¬ 
rie, who was Bishop of Moray from 1623 to 1638. 
He was deposed by the famous Glasgow Assembly 
of the latter year, along with the other Scotch 
Bishops, but remained in the Castle of Spynie until 
1640, when he was forced to surrender it to Colonel 
Munro, the Covenanting officer sent against him. 
There is a tradition that the bell was not set up 
until after the Bishop left Spynie, never to return, 
so that the worthy prelate got no benefit from his 
own gift to the parish. 

The area of the old Churchyard of Spynie is 1-J- 
of imperial acres. The dimensions of the great 
door-way of the church were as follows:— 



THE PARISH CHURCH OF SPYNIE. 


141 


Height of Door Posts, 
Do., to top of Arch, 
Axis of Arch, 

Width of Door, . 


FEET. INCHES. 

. 5 5 

. 7 10 

. 2 5 

. 4 8 


The above door was in the west wall of the old 
church. In the south wall there was another door, 
having a window above it, of the following dimen¬ 
sions :—height under window, live feet eight inches; 
breadth, two feet ten inches; whole height of door 
and window together, eight feet live inches. The 
stones of these doors now form the entrance of the 
present church. 



PARISH SCHOOL. 


In Roman Catholic times there were few Parish 
Schools in Scotland, and yet it cannot be said that 
the Romish clergy were opposed to education, for 
we owe to them the foundation of three of our Uni¬ 
versities, viz., St. Andrew’s, Glasgow, and Aberdeen, 
and also the most of the Burgh Schools in Scotland. 
It was left to the Reformers, however, to institute 
Parish Schools, and it was one of the first matters 
which engaged their attention. We cannot trace 
any school in the Parish of Spynie of an early date, 
and perhaps from its proximity to Elgin, where there 
were schools of standing and repute, it may have 
been thought unnecessary. None of the Bishops of 
Moray, whether Romish or Protestant, although 
some of them had considerable talents, seem to have 
been great promoters of learning in their diocese. 
Perhaps therefore there was no school here previous 
to the passing of the Act of the Parliament of 
Scotland, in 1696, cap. 26, whereby the heritors in 
parishes where no Parochial School had before been 
established, were ordered to provide a school-house, 
and to modify a salary to the schoolmaster not under 


THE PARISH SCHOOL OF SPYNIE. 


143 


£100, and not above 200 merks, Scots, to be propor¬ 
tioned according to the valued rent of the parish. 
The heritors were very slow in every case to perform 
their statutory duties, and the school and school¬ 
master’s house were generally of the most miserable 
description, uncomfortable, and ill-aired. Spynie 
seems to have been in no way different in this 
respect from other parishes—the schoolmaster having 
a poor school and residence. With some exceptions, 
many of the parish teachers of former times were 
not very learned, and yet they did much good by 
conveying to their pupils the knowledge of reading, 
writing, and arithmetic, with some Scripture infor¬ 
mation, and contributed to raise the character of 
their countrymen for intelligence throughout the 
world. The present schoolmaster’s residence in this 
parish was built in 1811, and served both for a 
school-room and dwelling-house, the former being on 
the ground floor, and the latter above. In 1844, a 
new school-room was erected, which is thirty-three 
feet in length, twenty-three feet in breadth, and 
eleven feet four inches in height. Previous to 1811, 
the schoolmaster had very wretched accommodation; 
the house stood due north from the church. It con¬ 
sisted of a straw-thatched building, of one storey, 
having two apartments, on the end of which stood 
the school, also thatched with straw, and facing the 
south-west. We find the following parochial teachers 

here:— 



144 


THE PARISH SCHOOL OF SPYNIE. 


Alexander Sutherland, . . . .1721 

James Walker, ...... 1732 

James Watson, . . . . . .1736 

William Shepherd, . . . . .1743 

John Anderson, . . . . . .1751 

James Taylor, . . . . . .1753 

Alexander Gray,. . . . . .1757 

Alexander Collie, . . . . .1767 

Daniel Duff, . . . . . .1778 

John Mackimmie, . . . . .1791 

Peter Murray, ...... 1827 

William Ogilvie,. ..... 1844 

John Skene, ...... 1853 

William Smith, ...... 1864 

John Thomson, ...... 1868 

The branches taught are—English (including read¬ 
ing, grammar, and composition), writing, arithmetic, 
mathematics, geography, history, and Latin. The 
number of scholars are—Boys, thirty-seven; Girls, 
thirteen; total, fifty. The teacher’s emoluments are: 

Heritors’ Salary, . . . . . . £50 

Registrar of Landward part, .... 7 

School Fees, ....... 20 

Government Grant, . . . . .18 

Dick Bequest, ...... 30 


Total, . . . . £125 

There is also a female school, with an average 
attendance of forty girls. 











TOWNS AND VILLAGES. 


The villages in this parish, and the population, have 
been very fluctuating. In early times, when the 
Bishops resided at Spynie, and when the lake was 
salt water, a large population sprang up about the 
palace, consisting partly of seamen, and fishermen, 
and partly of tradesmen and shop-keepers, who must 
have had a considerable trade from the Bishop, and 
his many dependents and visitors, both of clergy 
and laity. The town or village of Spynie stood upon 
the flat ground near the lake, to the westward of 
the palace. In the year 1451, the town of Spynie 
was so extended that it was erected by King James 
II. into a Burgh of Barony. It had then reached Charter, dated 

. . 24th July, 1451. 

its utmost limits, and in the early part of the follow¬ 
ing century, by the closing up of the connection of 
the lake with the sea, the population and trade must 
have begun to decay. This was much accelerated 
by the Deformation of religion in 1560, when the 
power and influence of the Boman Catholic Bishops 
ceased, and their residence at the palace was at an 
end. The Protestant Bishops succeeded, but their 
revenues and resources were small, and accordingly 

j 


146 


TOWNS AND VILLAGES. 


Chartulary, 
page 395. 


we find that the town of Spynie gradually declined, 
and that by the time of the Revolution of 1688, 
it was entirely at an end. The population of the 
parish seems then to have moved westward, to 
Quarrywood and Westfield, and two villages sprang 
up, viz., Dykeside and Quarrywood—the former 
about the farm of Rosebrae, and the latter at 
Quarrywood. This change of population was no 
doubt the principal reason for removing the church 
to the west end of the parish, in 1736. The village 
of Dykeside has, in course of time, entirely passed 
away, and Quarrywood is fast hastening to the same 
condition. This may be partly owing to the almost 
entire conversion of the small farms into large ones, 
and the less demand for labourers and crofters, for 
it was people of that class who inhabited these rural 
villages. It is cause of regret that the diminution 
of that useful class of the community should have 
taken place to so large an extent. 

The village of Bishopmill is quite modem. There 
was a mill here as early as the year 1309, which 
more than once is called the mill of “ Malathy,” on 
the Lossie. In the year 1565, it is referred to as 
having four houses, called “ The Foure Cott Houssis.” 
In Slezer’s view of Elgin, which was taken before 
the year 1679, although only published in 1693, and 
which seems to have been sketched from the high 
ground where the house of Millbank now stands. 


TOWNS AND VILLAGES. 


147 


there is only seen a miserable looking meal mill, with 
the small fulling mill immediately below, which last 
till lately existed. The meal mill appears to^have 
stood more easterly than the present stance of the 
mill. In the year 1716, a dye-house was erected by 
Alexander Black near the fulling mill, and which 
still remains, in tolerable preservation, hearing the 
initials “A. B.,” and “E. A.,” supposed to he hus¬ 
band and wife, the date, 1716, and a sheep shears 
for a coat armorial. This Alexander Black, from 
tradition, as well as writings, appears to have been 
a mighty hunter and fisher, and devoted as much 
time to these stirring occupations as to his own 
peculiar craft, keeping a boat on the Loch of Spynie 
for fowling and fishing. 

In 1752, the Earl of Findlater, having purchased 
Bishopmill, erected a large granary shortly there¬ 
after, of very substantial masonry, and well slated. 
From its size, it must have contained a prodigious 
quantity of grain, the rents being then almost 
entirely paid in kind. No other houses seem to 
have been erected until nearly the close of the 
century. The Findlater family, for several genera¬ 
tions, had a great fancy for erecting villages, and 
certainly no better site could have been chosen than 
Bishopmill, lying high and dry, with a fine southern, 
warm exposure, and commanding a pleasant view of 
Elgin and the surrounding country. The late Pro- 

j 2 


148 


TOWNS AND VILLAGES. 


vost Brown received directions from Lord Findlater’s 
Commissioners to prepare a plan for the village, 
about the year 1795, and it was completed, and 
buildings begun, in the year 1796. The plan 
consisted of a frontage of building lots looking to¬ 
wards Elgin, with a street leading northward, and 
two streets bisecting it at right angles. There were 
few slated houses put up at first; indeed, the whole 
were poor, miserable, thatched cottages, with the 
exception of a dwelling-house of two stories, erected 
by Provost Brown himself, fronting the river, a 
miller’s house, and one erected by the Bev. Alexander 
Brown, minister of the parish. New meal and flour 
mills were erected in the early part of this century, 
of good materials, and well slated. In the year 
1821, a new turnpike road was made through the 
village, from Elgin to Lossiemouth, which consider¬ 
ably altered, and at first much disfigured the village, 
a deep cutting having been made through it, so that 
the High Street had to be connected by a bridge 
thrown across the new road. Gradually houses were 
built along this road, and it assumed a better appear¬ 
ance. Matters continued on the same footing until 
1846, when a set of handsome villas began to be 
erected, fronting the south, and looking towards 
Elgin. These have been gradually completed, and 
the village has a handsome appearance on that side. 
From the march with Morriston Estate at the west, 


TOWNS AND VILLAGES. 


149 


to the East Neuk at the east, these villas look re¬ 
markably well. In particular, we would notice the 
villa of Hythehill, erected by Hugh Maclean, Esq. of 
Westfield, with its terraced gardens, hot-houses, and 
green-houses, and the Knoll, now belonging to Miss 
Fuller Maitland. Mr. North (to whom the Knoll 
formerly belonged) has spared no labour nor expense 
in carrying out his improvements, and he has made 
a beautiful slope towards the river, by carting thou¬ 
sands of loads of rubbish and earth into the hollow. 
He has also converted the former unseemly, gravelly, 
and sandy channel of the Lossie into a small lake, 
by making a dam across the stream, over which he 
has thrown a light cast-iron foot-bridge, supported 
on metal pillars, thus making an elegant approach 
to his house for foot passengers. A new street has 
been formed to the north, on the line of the Lossie¬ 
mouth turnpike, of substantial stone-built houses, 
well slated. At the end of this street, the Union 
Poor-House has been built, a large, airy, substantial 
building, where the poor enjoy every comfort and 
care in their declining years. It has accommodation 
for 150 inmates, but is only at present licensed for 
eighty-four; the average number being about sixty. 
It has an excellent kitchen, a large dining-room, 
which is also used for a chapel; drawing-rooms, for 
men and women separate; a great extent of bed¬ 
room accommodation; besides Governor’s rooms, and 


150 


TOWNS AND VILLAGES. 


business apartment, all scrupulously clean. There is 
a large garden attached, the whole enclosed with a 
substantial stone wall, and there is a porter’s lodge 
at the gate. The whole is maintained at consider¬ 
able expense, and the care of the poor contrasts 
much with the squalor and disease to which they 
were exposed before the introduction of the Poor- 
laws. It may be doubted, however, whether they 
are now happier than when located in their own 
humble cottages, and the old feeling of independence, 
which formerly subsisted in Scotland, is now much 
diminished, if not entirely extinguished. On the 
west side of North Street, an excellent school-room 
and teacher’s house were erected in 1857, by the 
exertions of the Rev. Dr. Kyd, the minister of the 
parish, at a cost of £559 6s. 10d., of which sum Go¬ 
vernment paid £288 11s. 4d. The school-room is fifty- 
eight feet long, twenty-two broad, and fourteen feet 
in height. The number of scholars presently attend¬ 
ing are 170 boys, and fifty-one girls. The present 
teacher is Mr. Robert Horne. * The branches taught 
are English (including reading, grammar, and compo¬ 
sition), writing, geography, arithmetic, mathematics, 
history, and Latin. The teacher’s emoluments are— 


* Since writing the above, Mr. Horne has been removed to 
Milne’s Institution, Fochabers. 



TOWNS AND VILLAGES. 


151 


General Assembly’s Grant, . . , £10 0 

Voluntary Contributions, . . . 11 10 

School Fees, . . . . . 60 0 

Government Certificate, value . . 21 10 

Allowance from Government, for Three 

Pupil Teachers, . . . 12 0 

Total, . . £115 0 


0 

0 

0 

0 

0 


0 


The present female teacher is Miss Anne Duncan. 
Her duties are to teach sewing and knitting one 
hour per day. The schoolmaster’s house is thirty-six 
feet long, by twenty-six feet broad, and two stories 
in height. On the ground floor it contains kitchen, 
scullery, pantry, and parlour, with three bed-rooms 
above. This school has been a great blessing to the 
village and the country round, and the teachers 
have successively discharged their duties well. It is 
most creditable to the energy and zeal of the parish 
minister in the cause of education. There is a 
garden attached to the school-house ground, which 
consists only of one rood (Scotch measure) in whole, 
far too little for the purpose. It is held under a feu 
charter from the Earl of Seafield, dated 23d July, 
1855, at a nominal feu-duty of sixpence per annum. 
The trustees are the Earl of Seafield, and the min¬ 
ister and Kirk-Session of the parish. 

Mr. Brownlow North has recently purchased the 
large granary, formerly belonging to the Earl of Sea¬ 
field, and converted part of it into a church, which, 



152 


TOWNS AND VILLAGES. 


from its substantial walls, it was quite capable of 
being made. It will bold nearly 300 sitters, and is a 
great advantage to the village, where there is no 
place of worship. At the west end there is a large, 
comfortable room, with a fire-place, for prayer meet¬ 
ings, and other useful, charitable, and religious pur¬ 
poses. The buildings are vested in the name of 
trustees, for evangelical objects. The works have 
been lately finished. 

The old thatched houses in the village are fast 
disappearing, and it is hoped, in time, will give place 
to a superior and more substantial class of dwellings. 
Being now part of the Parliamentary Burgh of Elgin, 
Bishopmill may be said to be a suburb of the town of 
Elgin. 

We cannot close these remarks without adverting 
to the improvements lately made on the village, more 
particularly in the matter of roads, by Mr. Craig, 
Factor for the Earl of Seafield, and to the attention 
paid in the carrying out of these improvements by 
Mr. Craig’s active and intelligent assistant, who 
resides on the spot. We understand farther im¬ 
provements are now in contemplation. 


ROADS, BRIDGES, &c. 


In ancient times the accommodation in the way of 
roads and bridges must have been wretched in the 
extreme; but as there were no wheel carriages, the 
want was less felt. It is difficult now to understand 
in what manner heavy loads were carried in those 
days, more particularly building materials of stone 
and wood. The state of roads in this parish differed 
little from the surrounding district. Being near 
Elgin, perhaps the thoroughfares leading from the 
head burgh may have been rather better maintained. 
In the time of Bishop Bricius there was a road at 
the west end of the parish, passing the old Church 
of Kintrae, to the Castle of Duffus. As this church 
stood on the lands of Inchbrock, upon the Estate 
of Westfield, it must have wound round the head of 
the lake, and formed a very circuitous route. When 
the lake receded, another road was formed, in connec¬ 
tion with Bishopmill, commencing at the mills, where 
it crossed L ossie by a ford, passing at the east end 
of the Laverock Loch, on to Kintrae and the Loch 
of Spynie, where foot passengers crossed the shallow 
water on large steps, and carts and horses, proceed- 


154 


ROADS, BRIDGES, &C. 


ing a little westward, found a road to Duffus and 
Covesea. Another road diverged from Bishopmill, 
passed through Myreside to the lake, where passen¬ 
gers crossed by a ferry-boat to Salterhill, and from 
thence the road continued to Gordonstown. A third 
road went from Bishopmill and Elgin, past Kay’s 
Briggs, by the east end of the lake, to Lossiemouth, 
Kinneddar, and Stotfield. Very little of this road 
is in the Parish of Spynie. Another road from 
Elgin to Forres passed through this parish. It 
started from the west end of the town of Elgin, 
where it was called the Bullet Loan, or old King’s 
Highway. It crossed the Lossie to the west of 
Gallowhill, then proceeded due west by Scroggie- 
mill and the lands of Aldroughty to the Knock of 
Alves, and from thence to Forres. This was then 
the great north road from Elgin to Inverness, and 
continued so until the beginning of the present 
century. In the year 1630, the Magistrates of Elgin 
erected a stone bridge over the Lossie, near Morris- 
ton. This was the first substantial bridge ever 
erected on the river. It consists of one arch, and is 
founded on rock on both sides. It was five years 
in building, and bears the following inscription:— 
“Elginum condidit. Ibi concordia fiat. Foundit 
1630, finishit 1635.” The south side of the bridge 
is in the Parish of Elgin, and the north in Spynie. 
This bridge must have been of great importance to 
the town of Elgin, and surrounding country, giving 



ROADS, BRIDGES, &C. 


155 


a safe passage at all times, whereas previously, in 
time of floods, the river must have been quite im¬ 
passable. Being erected in a spot where the river is 
still and deep, and not exposed to currents, the foun¬ 
dations have never given way in the very least, even 
during the greatest floods. After this bridge was 
built, roads were made eastward through the Estate 
of Morriston towards Bishopmill; northward across 
the Hill of Quarrywood to Duffus; westward past 
Sheriffmill to join the Forres road, near Scroggiemill; 
and southward by Oldmills to Elgin, thus establish¬ 
ing a great and safe thoroughfare. After standing 
150 years and upwards, it was still the only stone 
bridge on the Lossie, showing the very slow progress 
of improvement in those days. In the year 1789, 
being found unsuitable for the increased traffic of the 
district, owing to its steepness, the arch was lowered 
and rebuilt at the expense of the County of 
Elgin, when the following addition was made to the 
inscription upon it:—“Rebuilt by the County, 
1789, in four months.” This somewhat vain asser¬ 
tion is clearly incorrect. The rebuilding amounted 
to no more than an alteration on the arch, for the 
foundations, side walls, and approaches, are all the 
original work, as may be seen from the style of the 
masonry. The bridge has stood for the last eighty 
years without any farther alteration, and almost 
without any repair, and promises to stand erect, and 
give a passage across the river, for many centuries 



156 


ROADS, BRIDGES, &C. 


to come, while more modem erections have been 
swept away by impetuous floods, thus showing the 
solidity of the old structure, and the care with 
which it was built. 

In the beginning of the present century the great 
turnpike road to the North was made through the 
County of Elgin. It is a magnificent road of an uni¬ 
form breadth of thirty feet. It passes through the 
Parish of Spynie, from Sheriffmill at the east to the 
Knock of Alves at the west. To connect the Parishes 
of Elgin and Spynie, a stone bridge of two arches 
was erected over the Lossie at Sheriffmill, which has 
stood, after a narrow escape from destruction in the 
great flood of August, 1829, for a period of seventy 
years, and still is a substantial fabric. About the 
year 1814, a stone bridge, of two arches, was erected 
over the Lossie at Bishopmill. It was a substantial 
structure; but, being built at a part of the stream 
very much exposed when the river is high, and in a 
rapid current, it was carried away in the flood of 
1829, having only stood for fifteen years. It was 
replaced by a cast-metal bridge, having stone abut¬ 
ments, which, having abundant water way, has stood 
for forty years. It is now proposed to be removed, 
and to be re-placed by one more suited for the in¬ 
creased traffic. In the year 1821, a new turnpike 
road was made from Elgin to Lossiemouth. Com¬ 
mencing at North Street, Elgin, it passed the bridge 


ROADS, BRIDGES, &C. 


157 


of Bishopmill, thence through the village, crossed the 
canal of the Loch of Spynie by a bridge, and there 
entered the Parish of Drainie. This road has been 
a valuable and direct communication from Elgin to 
Lossiemouth, avoiding the old circuitous route by 
Pitgaveny and Aikenhead. It has always been kept 
in the best order and condition, although now much 
superseded by the Morayshire Pailway, which passes 
but slightly through the Parish of Spynie. Since 
the above date no new roads of importance have 
been made in the parish; but several country roads 
have been much improved, particularly on the Estates 
of Westfield and Findrassie, on both of which the 
thoroughfares are in the highest order and repair. 

Since the passing of the new Poad Act, in 1863, 

• 

the turnpike gates have been removed, and both the 
turnpike and commutation roads have been placed 
on an equal footing, and kept in very good order and 
repair. The roads passing through Bishopmill are 
much frequented, and, owing to the great traffic to 
the quarries, woods, and mills, are maintained at a 
very considerable expense. The bridge over the 
Lossie at Bishopmill being narrow, the traffic great, 
and conveyances of all kinds very numerous, a foot¬ 
bridge for passengers is very much required, and 
must soon be erected for the public safety, if an 
entirely new bridge both for wheel carriages and foot 
passengers is not put up. 


WOODS AND PLANTATIONS. 


Like other parts of Scotland, this parish was much 
wooded during its early history, before agricultural 
improvements took place. The moors and hilly 
ground were then part of the primeval forest. The 
Oak Wood, which still covers the southern brow of 
the Hill of Quarrywood, and which shows roots of 
an extreme age, perhaps then extended over the 
whole hill; and the moors of Myreside and Spynie, 
with the shores of the loch, must have also been 
more or less covered with trees and brushwood. 
Gradually these woods were cut down, and used for 
domestic purposes, or for fire. In a country like 
Morayshire, where there was little fuel, the waste 
of plantations must have been very great, and, as 
nothing was done to replace what was cut down, by 
the middle of last century little remained but the 
oak coppice on the hill, which probably was preserved 
on account of the bark, valuable for tanning pur¬ 
poses. The parish therefore became very bare, and 
must have presented, in its whole length in the 
centre part, a very dreary appearance, from the moor 
of Spynie to the Knock of Alves. 



WOODS AND PLANTATIONS. 


159 


The first improvement made in the way of plant¬ 
ing in this parish was by James Earl of Findlater 
and Seafield, who, in the year 1772, enclosed and 
planted, on the moor of Myreside, 120 Scots acres. 
The ground was poor and bleak, and perfectly use¬ 
less. The plantation consisted entirely of Scotch 
fir. The trees throve well. The droppings of the 
needle foliage enriched and fattened the soil, and the 
thinnings of the trees sold well for paling and fire¬ 
wood. In the year 1811, a few acres were cut down 
to try and cultivate them, when it was found that 
the wood brought £20 per acre, when only forty 
years of age, and the enriched soil gave twenty 
shillings per acre for rent. Gradually this wood 
has been nearly all cut, converted into arable ground, 
and well enclosed, and, between sales of wood, and 
handsome return of rent, has been a very profitable 
undertaking for the noble proprietor. 

About the year 1784, James Earl of Fife, who 
had a great taste for planting, and a keen eye for 
profitable improvements, planted the whole Hill of 
Quarrywood with Scotch firs, putting in also a few 
birches and larches. This extensive plantation covers 
an extent of 1000 acres or thereby/'* and embraces 
part of the Estates of Quarrelwood, Morriston, She- 
rifimill, and Aldroughty. The plantation throve 

* The exact extent I have ascertained to be 1075 acres, 2 roods, 
and 33 poles. 


160 


WOODS AND PLANTATIONS. 


amazingly, and produced most valuable timber. 
After the lapse of upwards of eighty years, some 
of the trees have grown to a large size. It is now 
much thinned, and part on the north side entirely 
cut down. Still it continues to embellish the 
country, and, after large sums of money have been 
realised from it, there remains a great quantity of 
wood still to be disposed of. It is hoped, however, 
that there will be no farther cutting for a consider¬ 
able time, as the wood is a great ornament to the 
surrounding country, and particularly to the town 
of Elgin, the amenity of which would be much dete¬ 
riorated if the hill were laid entirely bare. This 
extensive plantation, with its fine sheltered walks, 
and sylvan scenery, having the Lossie at one point 
almost in sight, affords a most delightful place for 
exercise and recreation, both in summer and winter, 
and it is only justice to Mr. Lawson, Factor for the 
Earl of Fife, to notice, as we have pleasure in doing, 
the very judicious manner in which he has managed 
these woods, and, while he has taken a large sum of 
money from the sales of timber, for the benefit of 
the proprietor, he has, at same time, preserved much 
of the beauty and amenity of the scenery, thus con¬ 
tinuing a great boon and gratification to the public. 

The Estate of Findrassie consisted for a long 
period in a great measure of bare moorland, extend¬ 
ing towards Myreside and Bishopmill, and continued 


WOODS AND PLANTATIONS. 


161 


so until the latter part of last century. Alexander 
Leslie, who was proprietor of the estate from 1739 
to 1783, was a man of weak intellect. Nothing was 
done for the property; everything seems to have 
gone to wreck, both on the Morayshire and Ross- 
shire Estates. His brother, Abraham, succeeded to 
him, but did not get possession until 1785. He had 
been abroad for thirty-five years; had seen much of 
the world, and his mind was enlarged by mixing 
with men of all classes. Although arrived at the 
mature age of sixty-five, he immediately set to the 
improvement of the property; built a new mansion- 
house, and planted the whole barren ground, princi¬ 
pally with Scotch firs, which, in those days, were 
considered the only trees that would grow on Scotch 
moorland. Abraham Leslie only lived eight years 
after getting possession, having died in 1793, but he 
seems to have completed his improvements. These 
plantations have thriven well, and have, after the 
lapse of eighty years, reached maturity. Although 
they yielded little or no return to Mr. Leslie and his 
immediate descendants, their successors in the estate 
have derived from them a rich harvest. Little has 
been added to the plantations since Mr. Abraham 
Leslie’s death, except some hardwood beltings, and 
a few ornamental trees; but for many years past 
large sums have been drawn from annual sales of 
timber, and the management of the wood has been 


K 


162 


WOODS AND PLANTATIONS. 


so judiciously conducted by Mr. Geddes, the acting 
Trustee on the estate, that the annual returns from 
the sales promise to be good for many years to come. 
Indeed, the plantations on this estate have yielded 
almost as good a return as the arable land. The 
woods embrace a surface of 346 imperial acres. 

The Hill of Spynie, immediately above the Bishop’s 
Palace, was long a bare spot, and was of little value, 
except for rough pasture, being covered with whins, 
broom, and boulder stones, with rock. It was part 
of the precinct land belonging to the Crown, and the 
Crown lands were then much neglected. In the 
year 1826, the Barons of Exchequer, principally it is 
believed through the influence of the late Mr. Adam 
Longmore, then an Exchequer official, gave orders 
for enclosing the Hill of Spynie with a substantial 
stone dyke, and in that, or the succeeding year, the 
enclosed ground was planted with larch and Scotch 
fir. This plantation, according to the New Statisti¬ 
cal Account of the parish, contains seventy-three 
acres. It is now forty-four years of age, and, al¬ 
though it has not thriven so well as some of the 
other woods in the parish (particularly the part on 
the north side of the hill), owing to its exposed 
situation, still it has beautified the country, and 
given it a clothed and much improved appearance. 

The land on the Estate of Westfield, being 
entirely arable, is too valuable for planting on a 


WOODS AND PLANTATIONS. 


163 


large scale, but it has been beautified and sheltered 
by the judicious formation of hedgerows, beltings, 
and clumps, in all suitable situations. 


QUARRIES. 


No Parish in the North of Scotland more abounds in 
the finest building stone than Spynie. The high 
ridge of ground, extending from the east to the 
western boundaries, is composed of the best sand¬ 
stone, of different colours and variety. At an early 
period in its history, it is probable the boulder stones, 
lying profusely about, had been used for building. 
When these failed, the ground would be broken up 
to procure the necessary materials for erecting dwell¬ 
ing-houses, but, previous to the middle of the 12th 
century, there were few buildings of stone and lime 
in the country. The oldest quarry is perhaps what 
is called the Hospital Quarry. It is stated by tra¬ 
dition that the Cathedral was partly erected from 
materials obtained from it, and if so, perhaps also 
the old Church of St. Giles. After being long 
worked, it seems to have been given up entirely, 
and lay neglected for many centuries, the large 
heaps of rubbish being covered with heather, coarse 
herbage, and bushes, latterly with fir trees. It lay 
in that state until the year 1816, when it was re¬ 
opened for the erection of Gray’s Hospital. A great 


QUARRIES. 


165 


many public buildings in Elgin have since been 
erected from it. Among others, we may mention, 
besides Gray’s Hospital, the handsome Parish Church, 
the Assembly Rooms, the Free South Church, the 
Royal Bank, &c., &c. It is a very beautiful stone, 
almost pure white, and, when carefully selected, 
keeps its colour well, and resists the weather, as 
may be seen in the Parish Church and Gray’s 
Hospital, the latter of which has stood fifty-four 
years. There is a quarry on the north side of the 
hill, called the Millstone Quarry. It is a remark¬ 
ably hard, well-coloured stone, and resists the wea¬ 
ther. It was much worked, both for mill stones and 
building stones; but, having a rather difficult access, 
it has been given up for a long time. On the Hill 
of Spynie, and not very far from the palace, there is 
an excellent quarry. It is a pale grey stone, of a 
fine equal colour, and well adapted for all building 
purposes. It is likely the palace and great tower 
were built from this quarry. It was extensively 
worked about twenty-five years ago; but, perhaps 
owing to the depth to which it had to be carried, 
and the consequent great expense of working, it has 
ceased to be used. There are two quarries near 
Bishopmill, which have been extensively worked for 
more than thirty years. They both lie on the east 
side of the Duffus road; one on the Bishopmill 
Estate, and the other on Morriston. Many buildings 


166 


QUARRIES. 


have been erected from these quarries, and, when 
carefully selected, very good blocks can be got. The 
stone has a vein of iron running through it, which 
creates a slight blemish. There has been a quarry 
largely worked on the west side of the Dufitis road, 
and quite close to it. From the immense quantity 
of rubbish, and extent of excavation, it must have 
been used for a long period, but for a good many 
years all work has been dropped in it. At Newton, 
near the boundary line of Alves and Spynie, a quarry 
was opened about twenty-five years ago. It is a 
hard, substantial stone, of a pink colour, and resists 
the weather well. The Caledonian and North of 
Scotland Bank branches in Elgin have been built of 
this stone. It is evidently a very lasting stone, but 
somewhat liable to be discoloured by the smoke and 
dust of the town. Near Laverock Loch, about ten 
years ago, a quarry was opened. It was a beautiful 
cream-coloured stone, and well adapted for being 
polished for monuments and the finest ashlar work. 
Various buildings have been erected from it; but, 
whether the finest vein has been exhausted, or from 
other difficulties which have occurred, it has for some 
time ceased to be worked. On the whole, no district 
can be better supplied with the finest stone, and the 
entire hill, extending for a distance of five miles, is 
really one mass of the best freestone rock, of great 
value, and quite inexhaustible. 


ANTIQUITIES. 


On the head of antiquities little can be said. The 
only ancient building now remaining in the parish is 
the Palace of Spynie, to which we have so frequently 
referred in the preceding pages, that we have left no 
space for farther remarks. It is an ornament to the 
country, and is the finest ruin of an Episcopal Palace 
in Scotland, and we hope the present noble proprie¬ 
tor will preserve and protect the venerable building, 
and, as he has already done something for its improve¬ 
ment, that he and his successors may continue to 
watch over it, and preserve it from farther decay. 
We have also referred to the Castle of Quarrel wood, 
a building long pertaining to an ancient family, and 
occupied by a noble lady down to the middle of last 
century. It is much to be regretted that it should 
have been neglected, and allowed to be carried away, 
so that no one now knows the appearance, style of 
architecture, or anything about it. Although entirely 
gone, th§ site may still be traced, and it has all the 
appearance of having been an extensive erection. 
The only other piece of antiquity is a fortified en¬ 
trenchment or camp, situated on the top of the 


168 


ANTIQUITIES. 


Quarrywood Hill, and commanding an extensive 
view, both to the north and south. Like other 
similar works, it has been called Danish, but it is 
possibly of native origin, and much older than the 
invasion of the Danes. No better site could be 
chosen than this for an outlook, as from all quarters 
the view is extensive, more particularly looking to 
seaward, where invaders principally came from, and 
if a beacon fire had here been lighted up it would 
be seen from a great distance, to call the scattered 
natives to arms, to guard their homes and families. 
In the Old Statistical Account of the parish, it is 

oid statistical thus described—“The remains of a Danish Camp 

Account, 

voi. io, P . 636 . « are s pQ2 ver y conspicuous on the Hill of Quarrywood. 

“ It would appear that those Danes who inhabited 
“ the Burgh (Burghead), in this neighbourhood, had 
“ erected it as an asylum for their families. It com- 
“ mands a view of the whole county, and a pleasant 
“ prospect into the Counties of Caithness, Suther- 
“ land, Boss, Inverness, Nairn, Banff, and Aberdeen. 
“ It is worthy of Lord Fife, and becoming his taste, 
“ in beautifying the county, to renew this monument, 
“ and perpetuate its antiquity.” While we can only 
very partially agree with the rev. author in the above 
remarks, for we have great doubts of the correctness 
of his information, it is much to be regretted that 
the Earl of Fife should have planted the site of this 
camp and fortification. The doing so has obliterated, 



ANTIQUITIES. 


169 


in a great degree, the slight remains of a work of 
extreme antiquity. Such spots should he left en¬ 
tirely bare. The growth of trees and bushes tends, 
in a great measure, to destroy all works of this kind. 


THE POOR. 


In Popish and Episcopal times the poor were main¬ 
tained by the Bishop and clergy, more particularly 
in the neighbourhood of the Bishop’s seat. It is 
handed down by tradition that at a certain hour 
daily the poor in this parish assembled near the 
Palace of Spynie, a bell was rung, and a postern 
gate opened, and bread, soup, and other viands 
supplied with no stinted hand. After the Revolu¬ 
tion of 1688, matters changed, and the minister and 
Kirk-Session could only dole out a little charity to 
the poor, from the church-door collections, and the 
interest of funds mortified by charitable and benevo¬ 
lent persons. We have not seen the session records 
prior to the year 1721. On the 30th May that year 
the poors’ funds were allocated. There were fifteen 
poor on the roll, and the sum divided was £17 5s. 8d. 
Scots money. On 17th July, 1722, there was a divi¬ 
sion of poors’ funds. There were seventeen persons 
on the roll, and the sum divided was £19 9s. Scots. 
In 1723 there were eleven persons on the roll, and 
the sum divided was £16 4s. 2d. Scots. In 1724 there 
were twenty-eight on the roll, and the division was 


THE POOR. 


171 


£21 10s. 4d. In 1729 there were thirty on the roll, 
and the sum divided was £40 4s. Scots. After the 
year 1732, we find no further entries in the Session 
Records about the church-door collections, and they 
were likely noted in a separate book, there having 
been a new Session-Clerk appointed that year. 

In the Old Statistical Account of the parish, 
published in 1794, we have no account of the man¬ 
agement of the poor, and the rev. author perhaps 
did not consider such an every-day matter worth 
recording. He observes, however, that “ the people 
“ are industrious and frugal, possessing also other 
“ virtues, not so much the necessary consequence of 
“ their situation; being in general honest, benevolent, 
“ and friendly, and entertaining a high respect for 
“ the ordinances of religion. The dress of the poorer 
“ tenants and day labourers is of the cheapest kind, 
“ chiefly of home manufacture.” In the New Statis¬ 
tical Account, published in 1835, the following re¬ 
marks occur :—“ The average number of persons 
u receiving parochial aid is twenty-eight. The 
“ average sum allotted to each yearly is 18 s. The 
“ annual amount ol church collections is £20. 
“ The annual amount of interest for money lent out 
“ from the poor’s fund is nearly £11. There is an 
“ independent disposition among the poor, restrain- 
“ ing them from seeking parochial relief while they 
“ are healthy and able to work, but when old age or 


172 


THE POOR. 


“ distress comes upon them they do not consider it 
“ as degrading to apply for relief.” 

The unfortunate breaking up of the Church of 
Scotland, in 1843, caused a great change in the state 
of the parochial management. The church-door 
collections, small as they had hitherto been, fell off 
largely, and it was generally felt over Scotland that 
an assessment for support of the poor must be levied. 
The Act of 8 and 9 Victoria, cap. 83, was therefore 
passed in August, 1845, and was soon after adopted 
in this parish. In the year 1850 the number of 
poor on the roll was forty-seven, and the amount of 
assessment was £200, the allowance to each being 
from Is. to 4s. per week. The rate of assessment on 
houses above £10 of annual value was five per cent, 
payable by proprietor, and five per cent, payable by 
tenant; on land, and houses under £10 of annual 
value, two and a-half per cent, charged on the pro¬ 
prietor, and two and a-half per cent, on the tenant, 
and a deduction of ten per cent, on rental, allowed 
proprietors of houses for repairs. In 1852 the 
assessment was £225; the charge, tenpence per 
pound on proprietors of houses above £10 of annual 
value, and tenpence per pound on tenants; on land, 
and houses under £10 of annual value, fivepence 
per pound on proprietors, and fivepence per pound 
on tenants. In the year 1863 the assessment had 
doubled itself, having risen to £459, and the rate on 


THE POOR. 


173 


houses above £10 of annual value was, on proprie¬ 
tors, Is. l^d. per pound, and Is. l^d. on tenants. 
On proprietors of land, and houses under £10 of 
annual value, 8d. per pound, and 8d. per pound on 
tenants. In 1869 the yearly assessment amounted 
to no less than £542 17s. lid., and the number of 
poor on the roll, fifty-three, thus giving an average 
allowance of about £10 annually to each person. 
The rate is as follows:—On owners of houses, shops, 
lands, &c., lOd. per pound; on tenants of land, 7d. 
per pound; on occupiers of shops, mills, and quarries, 
Is. 2d. per pound; on occupiers of dwelling-houses, 
Is. 9d. per pound; so that if a proprietor of a house 
is also the occupant he pays one-eighth of the yearly 
value for poor-rates. This is an extraordinary change 
of matters within a period of thirty-four years. In 
1835 the poor of the parish were supported on the 
church collections, amounting to about £25 annually, 
and the charity of their neighbours, voluntarily given, 
and were contented and happy. They are now 
maintained at a cost of £542, being twenty-two 
times the amount, and are far from contented.* 
“ The independent spirit restraining the poor from 
seeking parochial relief,” referred to by the rev. 
author of the New Statistical Account of the parish, 

* The Assessment for the year from Whitsunday, 1870, to 
Whitsunday, 1871, is about £570, and the rate is proportioned as 
last year. 



174 


THE POOR. 


is now entirely gone, and every one seeks a share in 
the assessment as his or her legal right, trying who 
shall get the most in the scramble. The state of 
matters is very serious, and if the assessment goes 
on increasing at the present rate, great part of the 
rental of the parish will, ere long, be absorbed in 
the support of the poor. This is a very alarming 
question in Scotland, and one of the worst signs of 
the times, the rapidly increasing expense of sup¬ 
porting the poor, and is worthy of the attention of 
statesmen and philanthropists. If a change in the 
Poor-law is not made, or some other means devised 
for checking the increase of rates, the boasted inde¬ 
pendent spirit of Scotland runs a great risk of being 
destroyed, and private charity and benevolence will 
entirely be put an end to. It is hoped the Govern¬ 
ment of the country will, ere long, turn its attention 
to this subject. It is admitted universally that the 
parochial system is capable of great improvement, 
much of the money raised by assessment being spent 
in expensive litigation on the subject of the settle¬ 
ment of paupers, and the liability of the respective 
parishes for their support, which might be saved by 
wholesome legislation. 


POPULATION. 


It is evident that the population of this parish was 
as large, if not more so, in mediaeval times than now. 
In the 15th century there was a large number of 
inhabitants in the Burgh of Spynie, and besides the 
Bishop’s retainers about the palace must have been 
numerous. The farms and crofts were small, and 
each little holding had its own family, with servants, 
labourers, and cottars. In the rental of the Diocese 
of Moray, for the year 1565, the number of small 
tenants is very great. In Spynie there were ten 
tenants; in Bishopmill seventeen tenants; and in 
Myreside five tenants. Even so late as the year 
1757, there were six tenants in Morriston, and four 
in 1764. Afterwards it was let to one tenant, and 
has continued to be so occupied ever since. Owing 
to the increase of large farms, the population last 
century diminished very much. In the year 1755 it 
was 865. In 1794 the population was as follows:— 

Males, ........ 289 

Females, . . . . . . .313 

Total, . . . .602 



176 


POPULATION. 


Showing a diminution, in the short space of thirty- 
nine years, of 263 persons. 

By the formation of the village of Bishopmill, in 
1795, the population began to increase, and the 
census of the parish, during the four first decennial 
periods of the present century, is as follows:— 


In 1801, 
„ 1811, 
„ 1821, 
„ 1831, 


843 

816 

996 

1121 


The author of the New Statistical Account of the 
parish, published in October, 1835, observes—“ The 
“ population has evidently been increased by the 
“ building of the village of Bishopmill, which con- 
“ tains 621 inhabitants, while the rest of the parish 
“ only contains 500. In several parts of the parish 
“ a number of crofts have been long ago converted 
“ into farms, which has greatly diminished the popu- 
“ lation in the country.” The same writer gives the 
following table of statistics, applicable to the year 
1835, which is worth recording:— 


New Statistical 
Account, 
voL 13, page 97 
—Shire of 
Elgin. 


The yearly average of Births for the last 

Seven Years is . . . . .24 

The yearly average of Marriages for do., do., 8 
The number of Families is . . . .259 

Do., of Inhabited Houses, . . 207 

Do., of Uninhabited Houses, or now 

Building, is ..... 4 






POPULATION. 177 

Number of Families chiefly employed in 

Agriculture,.50 

Number of Families chiefly employed in Trade 

Manufacture, and Handicraft, . . 81 

In 1841, the Population was . . .1164 

In 1851, do. do., . . . 1341 

Of which there were in Bishop- 

mill Village, . . 897 

On Landward Part, 93 fami¬ 
lies, consisting of 220 
Males, and 224 Females, 444 
Making, as above,.... - 1341 


In 1861 , the population was as undernoted— 


FAMILIES. 

MALES. 

FEMALES. 

TOTAL. 

Landward District, 107 

261 

257 

518 

Bishopmill, . .278 

502 

580 

1082 

385 

763 

837 

1600 

It may be expected, 

from the 

number 

of new 


houses built lately in Bishopmill, that there will be 
a considerable increase to its inhabitants when the 
census of 1871 is taken, whereas the landward part 
will probably be stationary. There is a tendency in 
the present times to keep the rural population down, 
and to drive the poor and labouring class into towns 
and villages, which is growing to be a serious evil, 
creating a want of country labourers, and a diminu¬ 
tion of a most useful and industrious class in the 
community. It is quite clear that if the village of 
Bishopmill had not been erected the population of 
the Parish of Spynie would be more than a third 
less than it was a century ago. 


L 







GENERAL REMARKS 


On the Original Population , the Changes which have 
taken place, and the Progress of the District. 


The history of the earliest inhabitants of Scotland, 
and of the state of the country, would be a most 
interesting study, but, unfortunately, there are no 
materials to form even a conjecture as to the races 
who first inhabited the land, their habits, and mode 
of life. It is very probable that the aborigines were 
a savage race, perhaps no better than the inhabitants 
of the South Sea Islands, or the Patagonians of 
South America. They lived in the meanest habita¬ 
tions, or burrowed in the ground. There are even 
some indications that they may have been cannibals. 
Those who are learned in such subjects, and who 
have examined the ancient tumuli, are of opinion 
that the skulls of the aboriginal inhabitants of Scot¬ 
land are differently shaped from those of the succeed¬ 
ing races, and indicate a very low state of intellectual 
talent. (See Wilson’s Prehistoric Annals of Scot¬ 
land, 1st edition, chapter 9.) 

The Celtic nations, at a comparatively early period 


GENERAL REMARKS. 


179 


in the world’s history, were crowded round the 
shores of the Mediterranean Sea, and gradually 
extended themselves to the Atlantic and German 
Oceans, occupying the best countries in Europe, 
including Italy, Spain, and France. The traditional 
history of Ireland, and our own old chronicles, bear 
that the Scoto-Celtic races, which became the lead¬ 
ing population of that island, emigrated from the 
Spanish Peninsula several centuries before the birth 
of Christ, being driven out perhaps by the Roman 
and Carthaginian wars, which long devastated Spain, 
thus seeking a quieter home by proceeding westward, 
and subduing before them the feebler inhabitants of 
their newly-found abode. The Scots became the 
leading race in Ireland, and for a long period gave 
their name to that country. There is a great dif¬ 
ference of opinion as to the time when the Scots 
first appeared in the country now called Scotland. 
Our old historians assert, without much division, that 
it was 300 years before the birth of Christ when 
the first Scotch colony landed in Argyle. This was 
reckoned to be true history, and was universally 
believed until last century, when enquiring minds 
began to doubt the authenticity of our annals. 
There has perhaps in latter times arisen a too in¬ 
credulous spirit, throwing doubts on all ancient 
chronicles, and thus matters have gone from one 
extreme to another. Whatever may be the truth 


180 


GENERAL REMARKS. 


Pinkerton’s 
History, 
vol. 2, page 60. 


about the period when the first Scots colony settled 
in the West of Scotland, there seems little doubt, 
from the proximity to Ireland, that there was a 
settlement made shortly after if not before the 
Christian era. Even Pinkerton, a most unfriendly 
writer, admits that they were settled as early as the 
year 258. It is generally admitted that this colony 
was expelled from Argyle about the middle of the 
5th century, and again returned in the year 503, 
under the leadership of Fergus, the son of Ere, the 
founder of the line of Dalriadic Princes, from whom 
the present Royal Family of Britain is descended. 
The Scotch were never again expelled. They had a 
severe contest to maintain their ground against their 
powerful neighbours the Piets, but, after varying 
fortune, through conquest or succession, partly per¬ 
haps through both, Kenneth Macalpin, King of the 
Scots, in the year 843, succeeded to the kingdom of 
the Piets, and, gradually extending themselves, the 
Scottish nation acquired the whole country north of 
the Tweed. 


* In the chronicle of the Scots and Piets, lately published by 
authority of the Lords of the Treasury, the following account of 
these transactions is given:—“ Fergus, filius Eric, ipse fuit primus 
“ qui de semine Chonare suscepit regnum Alban, id est, a monte 
“ Brunalban usque ad mare Hibernie et ad Inchegall. Deinde 
“ reges de semine Fergus regnaverunt in Brunalban sive Brunhere 
“ usque ad Alpinum filium Eochal. Kined (Kenneth), filius hujus 
“ Alpini, primus Scottorum, annos xvi. in Pietinia feliciter regnavit.” 


GENERAL REMARKS. 


181 


If we know little of the early history of the Scots, 
that of the Piets, who were the greater and more 
ancient nation, is involved in almost total darkness. 
Where they came from, their origin, history, and 
even language, have all been the subject of fierce 
and doubtful disputation. That they were the 
powerful nation who, under the name of Caledonians, 
maintained a severe contest for their independence 
against the power of the Roman Empire, and were 
successful in that contest, seems now to be generally 
admitted by all writers. While Tacitus, Dio Cassius, 
and other Roman historians, make mention of the 
Caledonians, and even give the speech of their leader, 
Galgacus, at the battle of Mons Grampius, they do 
not, unfortunately, tell us what language was spoken, 
whether it was Celtic or Teutonic, although they 
must have known it well. A single word as to the 
spoken language of the Caledonians would have 
settled the dispute of the origin of the nation at 
once and for ever. That they had some degree of 
knowledge, and acquaintance with arts and science, 
appears from the many sculptured stones all along 
the East Coast of Scotland, and also from the fact 
that they were acquainted with metals, and in then- 
wars with the Romans used large, well-tempered 
swords and spears of steel. 

During last century, and the early part of the 
present, the Piets were generally supposed to be of 


182 


GENERAL REMARKS. 


Teutonic or German extraction, and no one supported 
this view more vigorously than John Pinkerton, 
in his enquiry into the early history of Scotland, 
published in 1789. With immense learning and 
application, he spared no pains, labour, or research in 
supporting his arguments, but he carried on his 
disputations with so much heat and ferocity that 
he could view no subject with a calm and dispas¬ 
sionate spirit, and he had a particular ill-will to 
the Highlanders, and everything of Celtic origin. 
Happily this class of writers has passed away, and 
another has arisen within our time who, with greater 
advantages, more resources, and in a dispassionate 
spirit, have studied and elucidated this subject. 
Among these, we may particularly enumerate Mr. 
William Forbes Skene, who, in his work on the 
origin, history, and antiquities of the Highlanders, 
has thrown much light on a very obscure subject, 
and if he has not quite proved, he has at least given 
very cogent reasons for supposing that the Piets 
were truly a Celtic people, and that the Highlanders 
of the present day represent them. 

The recent publication of the Book of Deir shows 
that in the 9 th century the Celtic language was 
both spoken and written by the inhabitants of the 
Aberdeenshire Coast. That the people who dwelt 
on the East Coast of Scotland were Celts, is clearly 
proved by the important fact that all places of note, 


GENERAL REMARKS. 


183 


and of the least claim to antiquity, from Inverness 
to Berwick-on-Tweed, have Celtic names. All that 
country was possessed by the Piets, and from them 
the names came. 

In the 6th century, Scotland was possessed by 
five nations. First, the Saxons, who had conquered 
the country to the south of the Firth of Forth, and 
joined it to the kingdom of Northumberland; the 
Britons, who had the kingdom of Strathclyde, in the 
West; the Irish Scots, who had Argyle, Cantyre, and 
Islay, with some part of the Western Isles; the 
Southern Piets, who had Fife, Angus, part of Perth¬ 
shire, &c.; and the Northern Piets, who had the 
whole country north of the Grampians. It seems 
highly probable that the Piets, Scots, and Britons all 
spoke dialects of the Celtic language, and were in¬ 
telligible to each other. The Piets, although nomi¬ 
nally in nations, were divided into clans, who held 
districts of country, and were governed by hereditary 
chiefs, called “Maormors.” According to Ptolemy, 
in early times a section of the Northern Piets, called 
“ Vakamagoi,” inhabited the County of Elgin, Strath¬ 
spey, Strathavon, Braemar, and Strathardle. The 
capital city of the Northern Piets was Inverness, 
where their King resided. The divisions so explicitly 
given by Ptolemy were altered and modified in the 
course of time, and tribes were removed, by change 
of circumstances, from one district to another. In 


184 


GENERAL REMARKS. 


843, as we have stated before, the Scots became the 
foremost race in Scotland, and the name of Piets 
gradually disappears from history. 

The nations which inhabited Scotland in 843, 
being admittedly Celtic, and speaking that language, 
how does it happen that by the middle of the 12th 
century, that is within 300 years, we had a Saxon 
or Teutonic language spoken by the people on the 
East Coast of Scotland? The causes for this great 
change are various, and we shall briefly state them. 
1st. In the middle of the 9th century the Norwegian 
or Scandinavian sea kings began to infest the coasts 
of Scotland. They conquered the Orkney and Shet¬ 
land Islands, and the eastern part of Caithness so 
effectually, as not only to expel the greater part of 
the old inhabitants, who fled to the mountains and 
fastnesses of Sutherland, where they could not be 
followed, but also extirpated the language, introduc¬ 
ing in its place the Norse or Gothic tongue. After 
being firmly settled in their new abode, the Norse¬ 
men moved to the south side of the Moray Firth, 
and, having the complete command of the sea, they 
could wander at their will. As early as the year 
894, the northern counties of Scotland were con¬ 
quered by Sigurd, Earl of Orkney, and Thorstein, 
his ally, but, in consequence of the death of Sigurd, 
the possession of the country was short. A con¬ 
siderable number of the inhabitants of the coast 


GENERAL REMARKS. 


185 


were then driven out, and replaced by the invaders. 
In the end of the 10 th century, and early part of 
the 11th, the Norsemen invaded Scotland in greater 
force, and not only had possession of the whole of 
the northern counties, but extended their ravages as 
far as the Tay. Their possession of the North is 
stated to have lasted thirty years, and to have termi¬ 
nated only by the death of Thorfinn, Earl of Orkney, 
in the year 1064. During this period of possession 
many of the old inhabitants were driven out, and a 
new race took possession of their lands. 2d. Mal¬ 
colm Canmore, who was long resident in England, 
succeeded to the throne of Scotland, in the year 
1057. Being assisted by the Saxons in the recovery 
of his dominions, he had a great affection for them, 
which was increased by his marriage with Margaret, 
a Saxon Princess. He introduced the Saxons into 
the country by tens of thousands, and when the 
Norman conquest took place, in the year 1066, many 
of the inhabitants in the North of England fled to 
Scotland for shelter and protection, where they were 
all well received and settled by the Scottish monarch. 
These new subjects helped Malcolm much to consoli¬ 
date his kingdom, and enabled him to subdue the 
Norwegians, and also the remains of the Pictish 
nation. This King had a long reign of nearly forty 
years, and from his time the true history of the 
country commences. His sons, Edgar, Alexander, 


Skene, vol. 1, 
page 120. 


186 


GENERAL REMARKS. 


and David, successively Kings of Scotland, followed 
in their father’s footsteps, continued to introduce 
English subjects, and latterly Norman barons, so 
that by the middle of the 12th century the Saxon 
language, and Saxon inhabitants, were firmly fixed 
on the East Coast of Scotland. That such a change 
was needed, and that it greatly promoted the pros¬ 
perity and progress of Scotland, no one can doubt.'" 

It has been regretted by many that the Celtic 
inhabitants and their language should be in danger 
of being finally lost, as no doubt they will be; but 
when it is considered that the mixture of Scoto- 
Irish, Pictish, Norwegian, Danish, Saxon, and Nor¬ 
man blood has contributed to raise up one of the 


* A recent writer makes the following intelligent and correct 
remarks on this subject:—“With the accession of David, son of 
“ Malcolm and Margaret, a new era began in Scotland, and our 
“ northern district shared in the changes which then took place. 
“ These changes, which were almost all for the better, were mani- 
“ fold in their character, affecting the laws, the religion, and the 
“ language of the people, and introducing a new race into the 
“ ancient territory of the Piets. What has been called the Anglo- 
“ Norman colonisation of Scotland, was the work of David and his 
“ descendants. The general history has yet to be written, but its 
“ local progress may be traced in the pages of the .chartularies. 
“ New usages were adopted from the South; the Scottish Church 
“ was assimilated to the ecclesiastical condition of the rest of 
“ Christendom; burghs were founded; and the feudal institutions 
“ were gradually established in the Lowlands. 

“ There is now no dispute as to these points, or as to the ex- 
“ tensive immigration from England and the Continent; but it 
“ was formerly a common opinion, and it is still maintained by a 


GENERAL REMARKS. 


187 


finest races of men which the world has ever seen, 
and given the people of Scotland such a high rank 
among the nations, it cannot be a subject of regret 
that the Celtic name and language should thereby 
perish. 

The hereditary chiefs, or Maormars, of the province 
of Moray, occupied a high position in the country, 
and were nearly allied to the Royal Family of Scot¬ 
land. Skene gives us the names of several of them, 
viz.:—Malcolm King of Scotland seems to have been 
raised from Maormar of Moray to the throne. 
Ruari, his son Finlay, his son Macbeth, and after 
him Lulach, were Maormars of Moray, and possessed 
of immense power. The character of Macbeth has 

“ few, that there was no real change in the great body of the 
“ population of the north-eastern counties. This can only be held 
“ on the theory that the Piets were a Teutonic, not a Celtic race, 
“ but that theory is opposed to the evidence both of chronicle and 
“ charter, and to the information derived from the latest dis- 
“ coveries, such as the Book of Deir. The language of the whole 
“ Scottish nation north of the Forth, in the reign of Malcolm 
“ Canmore, was Gaelic. Before the death of Alexander III., a 
“ change had been effected. All along the Eastern Coast, from 
“ the Frith of Forth to the Moray Frith, a Teutonic tongue super- 
“ seded the Gaelic. The ancient race and language receded 
“ farther to the West, and finally the very name of the old Scots 
“ was transferred to the new people and language which had come 
“ in their place. When Archdeacon Barbour wrote his national 
“ poem of the Bruce, the language in which it was composed was 
“ spoken in all the low country of Aberdeenshire and Banffshire.” 
Grubb’s Preface to Antiquities of Aberdeen and Banff, pages 43, 44. 


Skene’s 
Highlanders, 
chap. 5, 
pages 107, 119. 


188 


GENERAL REMARKS. 


been much maligned by the old chronicles, and which 
has been increased by Shakespeare, who copies from 
Hollinshead. The truth appears to be that Mac¬ 
beth, as well as King Duncan, was a grandson of 
Malcolm II., and probably, by the Tanist law, which 
then prevailed among the Celts, was the nearest heir 
to the throne. He was supported by the Piets and 
Norwegians in the contest. King Duncan and he 
met in battle in the plains of Moray. The former 
was mortally wounded, and was carried to Both- 
gowan, in Alves, where he died. The murder, there¬ 
fore, is perhaps a mere fiction. Macbeth reigned for 
eighteen years, and, had it not been for the assistance 
given to Malcolm Canmore by a Saxon army, he 
would have left the kingdom to his posterity. It 
was well ordered otherwise, for in Malcolm, and his 
immediate descendants, Scotland enjoyed the best 
race of Kings the country ever had. 

Excepting the last century, which has been one 
of wonderful progress, the time of Scotland’s greatest 
prosperity was from the succession to the throne of 
Alexander I., in 1107, to the death of Alexander 
III, in 1285, a period of nearly two. centuries. 
During that time royal burghs were founded, com¬ 
merce fostered, agriculture advanced, waste lands 
cultivated, new races introduced, churches built over 
the land, justice strictly administered, and violence 
repressed. It was a time of comparative peace, and 


GENERAL REMARKS. 


189 


the country advanced from barbarism to civilisation. 
Had events continued to go on in this manner, Scot¬ 
land would have early taken a high place among the 
nations of Europe. Such was not the fate of the 
country. The long wars which succeeded the death 
of Alexander III. ruined the nobility and gentry, 
impoverished the land, threw it back into compara¬ 
tive barbarism, and when, after a century of blood¬ 
shed, Scotland emerged from the contest, independent 
and free, it was to find itself comparatively without 
commerce, agriculture, or arts. The succession of 
the House of Stuart, the violent deaths of most 
of the Sovereigns, the long minorities of their chil¬ 
dren, and the immense power of the nobility, with 
their constant wars, allowed little improvement to 
take place. Then followed the Reformation, the 
unfortunate reign of Queen Mary, the religious wars 
of the Covenanters in the following century, and the 
oppressions of the later Stuarts. These all retarded, 
nay totally prevented, improvements. The Union 
with England followed, but even from that little 
benefit was felt at first, for the Rebellions of 1715 
and 1745 ensued, and it was not till the middle of 
last century that the country was finally delivered 
from its troubles, and peaceful progress permitted to 
a long distracted land. 

The earliest inhabitants of Moray, as we have 


190 


GENERAL REMARKS. 


seen, were Piets, and of course Celts. In the 9th, 
10th, and 11th centuries they got largely mixed up 
with Norsemen. They were a fierce and warlike 
race, and, under their Maormars, or hereditary gover¬ 
nors, repeatedly rebelled against their Sovereigns. 
These rebellions occurred in the reign of Malcolm 
III., Alexander I., and Malcolm IV. In the latter 
reign, after the rebellion was crushed, it is stated 
that a great proportion of the Moray men were 
transported into the midland and southern counties 
of Scotland. This is borne out a good deal by the 
fact that the name of Moray or Murray is rare in 
this county, while it abounds in Perthshire, and on 
the English border. The race of men now inhabiting 
the plains of Moray are very different both from 
their neighbours in Banffshire, and those adjoining 
them at the West. 

The appearance of Moray in the 10th and 11th 
centuries must have been very different from what 
now prevails. The Piets were not an agricultural 
race, nor did they raise much corn. They lived 
mostly on flesh, milk, and such like- fare, as the 
ancient Britons did, of whom they were likely a 
branch, or a kindred people. They therefore kept 
herds of cattle and sheep, and must have moved 
about as pasture abounded. The population of the 
country was not great. The plains of Moray were 


GENERAL REMARKS. 


191 


covered partly by the sea, which ebbed and flowed in 
the large Lake of Spynie, while there were many 
smaller lakes, such as Cotts, ftoseisle, Inchstelly, &c. 
There being no drainage, there must have been much 
stagnant water, gathered into pools, from which 
there was no exit, except by evaporation, from the 
heat of summer. The rivers Spey, Findhorn, Lossie, 
and many smaller streams, poured out them waters 
in torrents from the mountains, and, having no em¬ 
bankments, wandered at their will through the low 
country, sometimes in strong currents, and occasion¬ 
ally in still water, bringing down immense deposits 
of gravel, and again covering these deposits with 
rich alluvial soil. From this circumstance no doubt 
arises the great inequality of the soil of the plains, 
where in some localities the most wonderful variety 
of ground will be found in one field. The low 
country must also have been much covered with 
natural and primeval forests, as may be discovered 
from the large oak and fir roots occasionally dug 
from the soil, and the land could only have been 
gradually cleared as agriculture and cultivation in¬ 
creased. It is not probable that much agricultural 
improvement took place in Moray until the establish¬ 
ment of Popery, and of Diocesan Episcopacy, in the 
reign of Alexander I. The Churchmen of that 
period had a sharp eye for fruitful lands, and placed 
themselves in great strength on the plains of Moray. 


192 


GENERAL REMARKS. 


Besides the Bishoprick, we had the great Abbey of 
Kinloss in the west, and the Priories of Pluscarden 
and Urquhart in the east, all richly endowed, with 
many smaller establishments. These religious bodies 
occupied much of the fertile lands of the county, and 
their tenants and vassals being, in a great measure, 
exempt from military service, progress was very 
rapid, and in the course of a century and a-half, by 
drainage improvement and good tillage, this county 
produced large quantities of wheat, barley, and oats, 
and the upper classes lived in abundance and luxury; 
no doubt the poor were straitened enough, and, 
except from the benevolence of Churchmen, had 
perhaps little relief. Even during the long wars 
with England, Morayshire perhaps suffered little in 
comparison with the southern counties, being remote 
from the scenes of strife. The progress of improve¬ 
ment, particularly under the Churchmen, must there¬ 
fore have been here pretty continuous, for Buchanan, 
writing in the 16th century, states—“So abundant 
“ is this district in corn and pasturage, and so much 
“ beautified, as well as enriched with fruit trees, that 
“ it may truly be pronounced the first county in 
“ Scotland.” The Reformation, in so far as agricul¬ 
ture, plantations, and gardening were concerned, 
brought a great change in Moray for the worse. 
The ecclesiastical buildings were destroyed, their 
fine orchards and gardens broken up, and the land 



GENERAL REMARKS. 


193 


generally under much worse management, and so it 
continued until the general improvement of last 
century took place. 

The Parish of Spynie, to which we now return, 
after a long digression, being the seat of the Bishop, 
had a peculiar advantage, the great proportion of it 
being church lands. It may rather appear strange, 
however, that the Bishop had not the best land in 
his possession, but seems to have preferred the light 
soils on the sunny side of the hill, such as Bishop- 
mill, Morriston, SherifFmill, &c., the rich lands of 
Kintrae, Quarrywood, and Westfield, being in pos¬ 
session of lay proprietors. The whole parish, how¬ 
ever, would appear to have been tolerably well 
cultivated at an early date, and supported a numerous 
body of inhabitants. The Reformation brought no 
improvement as to temporal affairs. The removal 
of the Bishops from the Castle of Spynie, and the 
want of the support which they gave both to agri¬ 
culture and the poor labourers of the soil, must have 
acted with a deteriorating influence, and although 
the Protestant Bishops succeeded, they had but 
limited power and means, compared with their great 
predecessors of the Homan Catholic faith. The last 
Bishop who lived at Spynie was Colin Falconer, who 
died in 1686 , and whose death was mourned by all 
classes as a public loss. The Revolution deprived 
the Bishops entirely of their lands and revenues, and 


M 


194 


GENERAL REMARKS. 


this parish must have felt much the change of cir¬ 
cumstances. There were some resident proprietors, 
however, who lived in the parish, and spent what 
little revenues they had in it, such as Dunbar of West- 
field, Leslie of Findrassie, and the Honourable Mrs. 
Sutherland, at Quarrywood. In the middle of last 
century the parish was in a poor state. There were 
no plantations, no enclosures, no regular rotation of 
crops; artificial grasses and green crops were un¬ 
known. The land which would bear cropping was 
laboured, and put under grain crops, being manured 
with farm-yard manure year after year until ex¬ 
hausted, when it was allowed to lie in natural 
pasture grass, until it had recovered strength for 
fresh labouring and cropping. Drainage was almost 
unknown. The ground was generally in the hands 
of small tenants, and their houses and offices were 
of the most miserable description; money payments 
were almost unknown, all rents being paid in 
kind, the grain being delivered and measured at 
the proprietor’s granary. Between the years 1770 
and 1780, progress began to commence, and since 
that time it has been carried on in the most unflag¬ 
ging manner. Plantations, on the most extensive 
scale, were planned and carried out; new farm stead¬ 
ings erected; the fields enclosed with substantial 
stone dykes; dwelling-houses for tenants built; drain¬ 
age, where necessary, begun and completed. With- 


GENERAL REMARKS. 


195 


out making invidious comparisons, we may notice 
the farms of Spynie, Rosebrae, Rosehaugh, Morris- 
ton, Sheriffinill, Aldroughty; the Estates of Fin- 
drassie and Bishopmill; and, above all, the Estate 
of Westfield. On this property the Messrs. Sellar, 
father and son, did very much in the way of drainage, 
embellishment, and enclosing with hedges. This has 
now been completed in the most finished manner by 
the present proprietor, Hugh Maclean, Esq., who, in 
addition to the former enclosures, has erected wire 
fences on a most extensive scale, so that the whole 
estate is now completely enclosed. The enclosures 
on the lands of Morriston and Sheriffinill are entirely 
the work of an active and energetic tenant, the late 
Mr. John Lawson. Those on the Estates of Myre- 
side and Bishopmill were mostly at the expense of the 
proprietor, the Earl of Seafield. In short, it is be¬ 
lieved that no parish in the North of Scotland is in 
a better condition as to the state of the land, houses, 
enclosures, and plantations, and none can have better 
laid off fields. Every acre of land in the parish has 
either been improved or planted, and, during a period 
of ninety years, the progress has been wonderful. 
We have now arrived at a period when farther im¬ 
provement can hardly be looked for; we may, 
however, indulge the hope that there will be no 
retrogression, but that, after so long a period of 
progress, continued attempts may be made even to 


196 


GENERAL REMARKS. 


excel those who have preceded, and that future 
generations may continue to follow the excellent 
examples that have been given them. Are there 
no dark clouds in front, and evils in prospect that 
should be avoided? There certainly are, such as the 
increasing luxury and expensive habits of the age, 
the system of rack-renting the land, the immense 
increase in taxation, and particularly in poor-rates. 
These are great and increasing evils, and will require 
to be seriously considered, and endeavoured to be 
guarded against, by some practical measures, and by 
the good sense of the community. 

It is to be hoped and prayed that the same kind 
Providence who has watched over us and our country 
in times bygone, will continue to protect us, and 
those who are to follow us, and that religion, morality, 
and every practical improvement may be fostered, 
and flourish in the land. 















































































































NOTE. 


As I have in some instances omitted to give authorities for 
statements made, I may here mention generally that in the pro¬ 
gress of this work I have consulted for information among others 
the following books, viz.:—Registrum Moraviense, or Chartulary 
of Moray; Hollinshead’s Chronicles; Buchanan’s History of Scot¬ 
land ; John Leslie, Bishop of Ross, De Rebus Gestis Scotorum ; 
Nisbet’s Heraldry; Douglas’s Peerage of Scotland, Wood’s edition ; 
Crawford’s Peerage; Douglas’s Baronage of Scotland; Lord Foun- 
tainhall’s Chronological Notes ; Lord Lindsay’s Lives of the 
Lindsays; Jervise’s Lands of the Lindsays; the Old Statistical 
Account of Scotland; the New Statistical Account; the Thanes 
of Cawdor; the Diary of the Lairds of Brodie; Brodie’s Family 
Trees of the Brodies; Miscellany of the Spalding Club; Cham¬ 
bers’s Domestic Annals of Scotland; Kennedy’s Annals of Aber¬ 
deen ; Pinkerton’s History; Skene on the Origin, &c., of the 
Highlanders; Chronicles of the Piets and Scots, published by 
authority of the Lords of the Treasury; Wodrow’s Church His¬ 
tory ; Skinner’s Ecclesiastical History; Fasti Scoticanae Ecclesiae; 
Burton’s History of Scotland, from 1689 to 1748; Keith’s Histo¬ 
rical Catalogue of Scottish Bishops; Colonel Leslie’s History of 
the Leslies; Laurus Lesleana, by the Jesuit Fathers; Gordon’s 
History of the Family of Gordon; Bishop Burnet’s History of his 
Own Times; Spalding’s History of the Troubles in Scotland; 
Gordon of Rothiemay’s History; Leslie and Grant’s Survey of the 
Province of Moray ; Shaw’s History of the Province of Moray. 






















































’ 



































NOTES: 


CONTAINING CHARTERS, AND OTHER DEEDS 
AND WRITINGS, FAMILY HISTORIES, 
STATISTICS, &c., &c., 


RELATING TO 


THE PARISH OF SPYNIE, 


AND SURROUNDING DISTRICT. 




NOTES. 


- »04 - 

I.—CHURCH OF KINTRAE. 


The subjoined charter was granted by Bishop Bricius 
in the beginning of the 13th century, and proves 
that the Church of Kintrae was then old. It pro¬ 
bably was therefore connected with the previous 
Culdee establishment, then decayed. This church 
stood on the Estate of Westfield, and on the lands 
of Inchbrock. When it fell into entire decay we do 
not know, but the churchyard around appears to have 
been long used as a burial-ground. Perhaps from its 
nearness to the Castle of Duffus, where there was a 
chapel, and a chaplain constantly officiating, may 
have done away with the necessity of the Church of 
Kintrae, as we hear little more about it after this 
period. The last remnants of this venerable fabric 
appear to have been only removed at a very late date. 


Bricius, Dei gratia Episcopus Moraviensis, universis sancte 
matris ecclesie filiis, eternam in Domino salutem. Noverit uni- 
versitas vestra nos concessisse et hac carta nostra confirmasse 
Hugoni de Moravia, Domino de Duffus, et heredibus suis ut 
habeant liberam capellam suam in Castello suo de Duffus, et ad 


Registrum 
Moraviense, 
page 273. 



204 


NOTES. 


/ 


sustentationem capellani in eadem capella deservientis, per volun- 
tatem et consensum ejusdem Hugonis et Andree filii sui et persone 
de Duffus, assignamus eidem capelle omnes decimas garbarum 
de terra que dicitur Aldetoun, que est inter veterem ecclesiam de 
Kyntra , scilicet a Langaphage per sicum qui vadit ex aquilonali 
parte de le Brinhill usque ad maresium quod est inter veterem 
ecclesiam et le Aldeton et sicut maresium illud vadit usque ad 
Blynd Wollis, et ita usque ad novum fossatum, et per novum 
fossatum usque ad viam que vadit de veteri ecclesia de Kyntra usque 
ad castellum. Assignamus similiter eidem capelle per voluntatem 
et consensum eorundem omnes decimas garbarum de tota terra 
que est inter predictam viam et divisas de Kyntraye ex parte 
australi strati australis quod vadit de castello de Duffus ad salinas 
australes, cum omnibus oblationibus in eadem capella factis. 
Volumus etiam et concedimus ut predictus Hugo et heredes sui 
imperpetuum cuicunque voluerint predictam capellam concedendi 
et de eadem tanquam de libera capella sua disponendi liberam 
habeant facultatem. Cencedimus etiam et presenti carta confir- 
mamus predicte capelle libertatem et immunitatem perpetuam 
ab omni exactione et servicio et consuetudine tarn in episcopalibus 
quam in omnibus aliis ad nos vel ad successores nostros pertinenti- 
bus. Volumus igitur et concedimus quod prenominata capella 
omnes predictas decimas garbales et oblationes cum libertatibus et 
immunitatibus omnibus supradictis habeat et possideat perpetuo 
adeo libere, quiete plenarie et honorifice sicut aliqua libera capella 
aliquas decimas et oblationes liberius, quietius, plenius et honori- 
ficentius tenet et possidet. Cuicunque etiam capellanus predicte 
capelle deserviet et faciet servitium pro fundatoribus capiendo 
unam specialem collectam, videlicet, Deus qui vivorum dominatur 
simul et mortuorum. Testibus magistro Gilberto de Moravia 
Archidiacono Moraviensi, Joanne de Moravia fratre ejus, Archi- 
baldo de Douglas, Alexandro et Henrico Canonicis de Spyny, fra- 
tribus nostris, magistro Henrico, Thoma capellano nostro, Roberto 
clerico nostro, Michaele pincerna, Stephano de Hedinhaym, Archi- 
baldo de Moravia, et Willelmo fratre ejus. 


CHURCH OF KINTRAE. 


205 


Referring to the old Church of Kintrae, a recent 
writer, who does not give his name, but whom, if we 
mistake not, we know well, expresses himself as 
follows :—“ The reference to the days when the 
“ greater part of Westfield may have been the 
“ bottom of the Loch of Spynie, calls to mind the 
“ circumstance that the name of Chapelfield, given 
“ to one of the parks on the home farm, seems to 
“ indicate that it was the site of the ancient Church 
“ of Kintrae. In a charter of Bricius, Bishop of 
“ Moray, of date 1203-1222, founding the chaplainry 
“ of the Castle of Duffus, mention is made of the 
“ old Church of Kintrae in the following terms :— 
“ ‘ Ad viam quse vadit de veteri Ecclesia de Kyntra.’ 
“ Lambert, Chaplain to William the Lion, was rec- 
“ tor of this church, and appears under the designa- 
“ tion of Parson of Kintrae, as witness to a deed 
“ executed between the years 1187 and 1203. The 
“ Churches of Kintrae and Spynie, however, were 
“ united by Andrew Bishop of Moray, prior to 1242, 
“ and not a vestige of the old Church of Kintrae 
“ now remains, nor of the churchyard, which seems 
“ to have been connected with it, and which was 
“ preserved until comparatively a recent date. The 
“ site of the churchyard, however, is still clearly to 
“ be seen, in the centre of a field, on the south-west 
“ corner of Westfield, and it has been remarked that 
“ it has scarcely ever grown anything to reward the 
“ agricultural enterprise that desecrated it with the 
“ ploughshare.” 



206 


NOTES. 


II.—LOCH OF SPYNIE. 

1. The following agreement or contract, between 
Sutherland of Duffus, and Douglas of Pittendreich, 
relative to the lands overflowed by the loch, dated in 
1599, will be interesting to the reader. It has been 
referred to in the text. The family of Douglas were 
then proprietors of Pitgaveny, and other lands bor¬ 
dering on the loch, and Sutherland of Duffus was 
the principal owner of the property on the north and 
west sides. The other proprietors perhaps took little 
interest in the matter :— 


Contract anent the Drowned Lands and makking of 

Dykkis —1599. 

At Elgin,' the-day of-, the zeir of God Jayvc fourscoir 

nyntein zeirs, It is aggreit, endit, and finallie condescendit betwix 
honourable perties, to wit Willa Suyrland of Duffous, on ye ane 
pt, and Archibald Douglas of Pettindryt on ye uyr pt, in maner, 
form, and effect as efter followis. That is to say, forsameikill as 
ye Loche of Spyne lies ourflowd ane pt of ye townis of Saltcottes, 
Cruickmuris, and Kirktoun of Duffus; and yt ye said loche, sua 
far as men can psaif, is lyke to droun mekell mair of ye landis 
and Barony of Duffus nor is all reddie drownit; and yat ye saids 
drownit landis can not be maid dry, and ye Loche of Spyne stoppit 
fra dowing of gretar harme to ye saids landis, except ye Lard of 
Pettindryt, his landis of ye Barony of Kilmalenmok be cuttit and 
tirrit for makking of dykkis till outhald ye watter of Lossie from 
ye said Loche of Spyne, and drouning of sundrie of ye said 
Archd., his landis. Herefoir ye said Wm, Suyrland of Duffous for 







LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


207 


ye recompans of ye said Archibald, his loss in to ye premisses, and 
for cost and expenses to be maid be the said Wm. in makking of 
dykkis, casting of slewcis, and makkin of yir inbankments propir 
for drying of ye saids drownit landis, be yir pnts, sellis, disponis, 
and annaleis to ye said Arch. Douglas and his aris, heratablie and 
irredemablie, his pt of all and haill ye landis befoir specefeit, 
lyand wtin ye boyndis befoir specifeit, and sherifdom of Elgin 
and Forres, and sherifdom (sic) forsaid, quhylk pertinis to him, 
ye said Wm., be vertew of his heritable infeftment of ye said 
Wm., his third pt landis of ye Barony of DufFous as Laird of 
Duffous, be vertew of ony richt he hes or may pretend to haif 
to ye Erie Merchalis third pt landis of ye said barony yt lies 
wtin ye boyndis following. To wit, beginand at ye sowtermast pt 
of ye said Barronie of Duffous at ye said Loche of Spyne, and as¬ 
cending westwart as ye said landis of Duffous merchis wt ye lands 
of Findrassie and ye Erie of Moray’s landis of Kintrey, till ye said 
merche be dereklie betwix ye cottar housses of Findressie, standing 
vpon ye merche of Corriwood and Findressie, and tua hawthorn 
bussis growing vpon ye syd of ye stank of ye weit meadow of 
Duffous, qlk bussis ar growand vpon ye sowtwast pt of ye orchart 
of Duffous, and sua directlie northwast to ye said tua hawthorn 
bussis. And fra ye saidis tua bussis gangin about ye said wite 
meadowis as ye stank gangis till ze willing tre dyk, and along ye 
said dyk to ye narowist pt of ye landis ptening to ye guidman of 
Drany; and fra thyn, distending as ye stank destendis, qlk de- 
widis ye guidman of Drainie’s lands and ye lands of ye Barony of 
Duffous, till ye said stank enter in ye Loche of Spyne. Off 
quhilkis landis, lyand wtin ye boundis befoir specifeit, the said 
Wm. Suyrland of Duffous binds and obleisses him, his aires and 
assiyns, to transfer and mak to ye said Archibald als guid and 
sufficient ryt yrof as he him self hes pntlie. And in caice he 
acquyre ony better ryt heirof at ony tym, bindis and obleisses 
him, his airs and assiyns, to transfer ye samyn in ye pson of ye 
said Archd. or his airis quhen evir he beis requirit heirto. ffor 
the quhilks don and to be done be the said Wm. Suyrland of 
Duffous, the said Archd. Douglas of Pettindryt binds and obleisses 
him and his airis yt he and yai sail mak trawell and wair expensses 
vpon ye drying of ye drownit landis qlks lyes wtin ye boynds 
befoir specifeit, and sail do his diligens to stope ye said Loche of 


208 


NOTES. 


Spyne from dowing of gretar skeyt, and yat wtin ye space and 
tym of four zeiris. And giff ye samyn can not be maid . . . 

.ye said Ard. binds and obleisses him and his 

airis to bestow vpon ye drying of ye saids landis ye sowm of ane 
thousand pundis vsuall mone of yis realme, wtin ye said space of 
four zeiris; so in athir of ye qlk cais it is condescendit be the said 
Wm. Suyrland of Duffous yt the land lyand wtin ye boynds above 
wretten remains wt ye said Archd. Douglas of Pettindryt or his 
airis till he negligent in drying of ye saidis drownit lands wtin ye 
said space of four zeires, sua yt yai nather dry ye saidis landis, 
nor bestow ye said sowm of ane thousand pundis money vpon ye 
said wark, then and in yt cais ye said Ard. Douglas is content and 
contents yt ye said Wm. Suyrland of Duffus and his airis sail haif 
als fre ingres and access to ye said landis as giff ye samyn had 
nevyr bein disponit nor annaleit; and binds and obleisses him, 
himselff, and his airis in yt caice to mak renunciation of ye saids 
landis quhan they sail happin to be requerit heirto. And for ye 
mair and better sequeritie heirof, bayt ye sadis pteis ar content yt 
yer pnt contract be insert and regrat in ye commissar buikis of 
Moray, and to haif ye fore and effect of ane decreit, wt execun to 
pass heirvpon in form as effeirs, and to yat effect ye said Wm. 
Suyrland of Duffous makks and constitutis for him, as his procu¬ 
rators,-, and ye said Ard. Douglas constitutis 

for him —— 1 -, his prors, to compeir before ye said 

Commissery, for ye effect forsaid, seyn and scrivit. In witness 
herof, bayt the saids pteis hes subscryvt yiss contract at yr handis, 
day, yeer, and place forsaid, befor yr witnesses —James Douglas, 
George Hay, Servants to ye said Ard. Doglas; Jon Law, and 
Alex. Suyrland, Servitors to ye said Wm. Seyrland; Wm. Mac¬ 
kenzie, in Elgin; Wm. Douglas, Writer, Notar Public, writtar 
hereoff. 

W. SUYERLAND off DuffuS. 

Archibalde Douglas. 

Allexander Sutherland, Witness. 

James Douglas, Witness. 

George Hay, Witness. 

Wm. Mackenzie, Witness. 

Wm. Douglas, Witness, Assr. 

J. Law, Witness. 




NOTES, 


209 


LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


2. We have referred in the text to David Anderson 
of Finzeach, Burgess of Aberdeen, having been called 
upon as an engineer to give his opinion on the sub¬ 
ject of reducing the waters of the loch, in the early 
part of the 17th century, and have again to express 
regret that his letters, which were in existence so 
lately, have been irretrievably lost, otherwise they 
would have thrown much light on the state of the 
drainage at that particular period, when the Lossie, 
for the first time, was shut out, and carried to the 
sea by a separate channel. David Anderson was 
perhaps the most eminent engineer of his time in the 
North of Scotland, and was also a famous architect. 
His native city, Aberdeen, was very proud of him. 
His brother, Alexander Anderson, was Professor of 
Mathematics in Paris, where he published six diffe¬ 
rent works connected with these studies, and where 
he seems to have spent the most of his life. David 
Anderson possessed an extraordinary genius for 
mechanical science. In the year 1618, he removed 
an immense rock, called Knock Maitland, which lay 
in the middle of the entry to the Harbour of Aber¬ 
deen, and was a dangerous obstruction to shipping. 
The expense of the instruments and apparatus for 
the undertaking was 300 merks, which were con¬ 
tributed by the shipmasters, the burgesses of guild, 

N 


210 


NOTES. 


and the corporations of trades of the town. He 
was also architect at constructing the steeple of St. 

Council Record Nicholas Church, and placed the weather cock upon 

of Aberdeen, ... 7 

vol -4a page it with his own hand. Mr. Anderson was married. 

469 . 7 

Kennedy’s hut had no sons. His daughters, however, made 
Aberdeen^ good marriages, and some of their descendants were 
,pa&e ‘among the most illustrious Scotland has produced. 
Marjory Anderson, his daughter, married Andrew 
Jamieson, Burgess of Aberdeen, and was mother of 
George Jamieson, the famous painter, called the 
Scottish Vandyke, the pupil of Bubens, perhaps 
the best painter Scotland ever has produced. His 
portraits are still very numerous, and highly valued. 
Although chiefly eminent as a portrait painter, he 
also applied himself to miniature, historical, and 
landscape painting. A modern writer states “ That 
“ every subject which passed under his pencil had 
“ all the life, proportion, and delicacy which are 
“ requisite to establish the reputation of an artist. ” 
Another daughter of David Anderson, Janet, married 
the Bev. John Gregory, Minister of Drumoak, and 
was mother of James Gregory/' the great mathema¬ 
tician and philosopher, the friend and contemporary 
of Sir Isaac Newton, Professor of Mathematics at 
St. Andrew’s and Edinburgh, and David Gregory 
of Kinnairdie, also an eminent mathematician. Of 
their descendants were—James Gregory, Professor of 
Medicine in Aberdeen, son of the great mathema¬ 
tician ; John Gregory, Professor of Medicine in Edin- 

* James Gregory married his cousin, Mary Jamieson, daughter 
of the great painter, a very talented woman. 



LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


211 


burgh, his grandson, who died in 1773 ; James 
Gregory, the eminent physician, and Professor of 
Practical Physic in the University of Edinburgh, 
his great-grandson, who died in 1821 ; and the two 
sons of the last mentioned gentleman, Dr. William 
Gregory, Professor of Chemistry in Edinburgh, and 
Donald Gregory, Secretary to the Society of Anti¬ 
quaries, author of several learned works, who both 
died in our own time, cut off in their early prime. 
The descendants of David Anderson, from whom 
the family talent seems to have come, have thus 
flourished for two centuries, and only expired within 
our own recollection. 

The widow and daughters of David Anderson 
appear to have been very worthy, religious, and 
charitable people. In his own lifetime Mr. Anderson 
had purchased, from George Earl Marischal, the 
manse, barn, and yard of the Dominican Friars, in 
Aberdeen, and it is recorded that after Mr. Anderson’s 
death Jean Guild, his widow, and his daughters, 
having succeeded to this property, bestowed it, along 
with a considerable sum of money, as a fund for a 
permanent provision for the education and main¬ 
tenance of ten indigent orphans, male or female, of 
the town of Aberdeen, by a deed of mortmain, dated 
15th and 17th March, 1642. The Magistrates and 
Council are trustees and managers of the fund under 


Council 
Register of 
Aberdeen, 
vol. 53, 
page 20S. 

Kennedy’s 
Annals, 
vol. 2, page 72. 


that deed. 


212 


NOTES. 


Notes on 
Burghead. 


3. GOBDONS OF GOBDONSTOWN. 

This family, although they had no land in the Parish 
of Spynie, yet were so much connected with the 
loch, and eventually claimed the whole solum of it, 
that it would have been desirable to have here 
inserted some account of them, but having done so 
in another work, it would only be a repetition of the 
same subject, so we shall content ourselves with 
giving a few notes of the different periods when they 
acquired their lands, or the greater part of them. 

Drainie. 

The lands of Drainie were granted by Patrick 
Hepburn, Bishop of Moray, with consent of the 
Chapter, on 16th May, 1545, to James Innes, and 
Katherine Gordon, his spouse. Eobert Innes of 
Drainie, great-grandson of the above James, sold his 
paternal estate, including Salterhill, on the 20th 
October, 1636, to Sir Eobert Gordon, son of Alex¬ 
ander Earl of Sutherland. 

Names of the Inneses of Drainie. 

1st, James; 2d, Eobert, his son; 3d, James, his 
son; 4th, Eobert, his son, who sold the estate. 


Note.— From the family of Innes of Drainie were descended 
the Inneses of Drumgask, Balnacraig, and Ballogie, in Aberdeen- 


LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


213 


Salterhill. 


The lands of Salterhill, formerly called Little 
Drainie, were granted by Patrick Bishop of Moray, 
with consent of the Chapter, 24th January, 1547, to 
Patrick Kinnaird. His grandson, Patrick Kinnaird inventory of 
of Salterhill, sold the lands, in the year 1615, to Tl |ir Robert 7 

7 J 7 Gordon and 

James Innes of Drainie, whose son and successor Rob g^g e80f 
sold his paternal estate to Sir Robert Gordon, as 
mentioned above. 


Ettles and Covesea. 


“ The lands of Ettles and fyshing, called the 
Coissey,” were granted by Patrick Bishop of Moray 
to Thomas Innes of Pethnick, and Elizabeth Norie, 
his spouse, and to the heirs-male of the said Thomas. 

The charter is dated at Elgin and Drainie the 8 th inventory of 

. 1 _ Titles of Ettles 

and 18th May, 1561, and is signed by the Bishop ^edby s?r 
and twelve of the Canons of the Cathedral, their Rober a n d ordon 
seals being also appended. Thomas Innes of Peth- Thomas Innes * 
nick, grandson of the above Thomas, sold the lands 
and fishings on the 17th September, 1638, to Sir 
Robert Gordon. 


shire. They were strict Roman Catholics, and many of them 
priests. Of this family was Thomas Innes, a priest, born 1662, 
died 1744, the learned author of a critical essay on the history 
and antiquities of Scotland, published in 1729, and of a civil and 
ecclesiastical history of Scotland. 


214 


NOTES. 


Names of the Inneses of Pethnick . 

1st, Thomas; 2d, Alexander, his son; 3d, Thomas, 
his son, who sold Ettles and Covesea. 

King's Third of Duffus. 

The changes of proprietors on this estate will be 
best shown by the following titles :— 

1. Charter of alienation by Archibald Douglas of Pittendreieh, 
in favour of Alexander Gordon of Sydra (Sidderay in Sutherland), 
and Margaret Keith, his spouse, of the third of Duffus, dated 21st 
May, 1603. The sasine following thereupon is dated 24th May 
same year. 

2. Charter granted by Archibald Douglas of Pittendreieh, in 
favour of Alexander Keith, lawful son of Mr. John Keith, Rector 
of Duffus, of the third of Blackgate; third of Starwood; third of 
Inchkeil; third of Roseisle, with the milns thereof; third of 
Burghsea; third of Bagro; third of Burnside; third of Over and 
Nether Crookmuirs; and third of Sheriffmill, with the astricted 
multures thereof, dated 24th May, 1603. The seisin following 
thereon is of same date. 

3. Bond of alienation, Alexander Gordon of Sydra, and Mar¬ 
garet Keith, his spouse, in favour of Sir Robert Gordon, of the 
third part of the Kirktoun of Duffus, Crosslots, and Saltcots, 
dated 2d June, 1629. The seisin following thereupon is dated 
6th June same year. 

4. Minute of sale, dated 11th June, 1647, at Inverurie, by 
Alexander Keith of Midbeltie, son of the deceased Alexander 

Documents a,»cS Keith, portioner of Duffus, in favour of Sir Robert Gordon, of his 

Chartei-rooniat share of the King’s Third of Duffus, and third of Sheriffmill, and 

Gordonstown. of the Outletmill. 

5. Contract of sale betwixt Sir Ludovick Gordon, his son, and 
Robert Sutherland in Burghsea, whereby, for £2830 Scots, they 
dispone the lands of Easter Inchkeil, and third of the Burgh, to 
the said Robert Sutherland, 9th March, 1670. 



LOCH OF PYN 


215 


Ogston and Plewland. 

The lands of Ogston and Plewland are the parti¬ 
cular part of the Estate of Gordonstown where the 
venerable mansion-house stands. Before the Gor¬ 
dons purchased the estate, it was called the Bog of 
Plewland, and no doubt was a fortalice, built in the 
marsh for defence. The estate was long held in pro¬ 
perty by the Hogstouns, or Ogstons, of that ilk; 
from them it passed to the Inneses of Innes and 
Balveny, thereafter to the Marquis of Huntly, and 
from the Marquis was purchased by Sir Bobert 
Gordon, on 13th September, 1638. The following 
curious inventory of titles, as well as the references 
to the other portions of the Estate of Gordonstown, 
were communicated to me by a friend, to whom I am 
indebted for many similar favours:— 

The Inventor of the wrytes of Hogstouno and Plewlands, 
delyverit be Robert Innes, then of Innermarkie, nowe of Balveny, 
to ane nobill and potent Lord George, Marquis of Huntlye, at 
Plewlandis the 7th of Februar, 1616 yeiris. 

Imprimis, Ane charter given be Marjerie Countess of Murraye, 
to Jhon Hogstoune of that ilk, sone and lawfull air to Sir Rannald 
Hogstoune, his father, daitit at Bamf, 6th May, 1417. 

Item, Ane precept of seasing of Allexander Hogstoune of that 
ilk, given to James Innes of that ilk, upon the landis of Hogs¬ 
toune, of the dait, at Aberdeen, 29th December, 1473. 

Item, Ane reversion given be the said James Innes of that 
ilk, to the said Allexander Hogstoune of that ilk, of the dait 
forsaid. 

Item, Ane license given be the King to Allexander Hogstoune 
of that ilk, fra him and his airis, all and haill, the lands of Hogs¬ 
toune, to whatsoever persone he pleasis, to be halden of himselffe. 



216 


NOTES. 


Item, The gift of nonentrie, given to Alexander Livingstoune 
of Dunnipeass, upon the landis of Hogstoune and Plewlandis, of 
the dait at Pearth, 15th March, 1527. 

Item, Ane seasing of James Innes of that ilk, given to Alex¬ 
ander Hogstoune of that ilk, upon the landis of Hogstoune, dated 
12th Jannuar, 1473. 

Item, Ane seasing of Elizabeth Lady Hogstoune, upon the 
landis of Hogstoune and Plewlandis, given upon ane precept, 
dated 8th Jannuar, 1501. 

Item, Ane resignation, in the Kingis handes, of the landis of 
Hogstoune and Plewlandis, be Elizabeth Hogstoune, with consent 
of hir husband, Adam Habroune, daitit at Edinburgh, 11th Maij, 
1501. 

Item, Ane instrument, wher Adam Habroune was requyrit to 
enter Robert Innes of Innermarkie in the landis of Hogstoune, 
daitit 6th May, 1509. 

Item, Ane precept of seasing, given out of the Chancellrie, to 
Robert Innes of Innermarkie, and Elizabeth Stuart, his spouse, in 
lyfrent, and to Robert Innes of Monikebback, his sone, appeirand 
air heritabillie of the landis of Hogstoune and Plewlandis, united 
in one barrony, daitit at Dundee, 1st September, 1539. 

Item, The charter of union, whereupone the forsaid precept 
was given under the Grayt Seall, of the landis of Hogstoune and 
Plewlandis, of the dait of the said precept. 

Item, The seasing following upone the said charter, of the dait 
4th November, 1539. 

Item, The service of Adam Habroun’s three daughters, Janat, 
Helein, and Isobell, before the ShirrefFe of Elgin, daitit the penult 
of Februar, 1527. 

Item, Ane charter of Andro Oliphant of Berridel, sone and air 
of umqll. Christen Suderland of Berridel, given to William Suder- 
land of Duffus, of the third pairt of the landis of Plewlandis, of 
the dait at Edinburgh, 10th November, 1528. 

Item, Ane precept of seasing, passit thereupone. 

Item, Ane instrument taine be Robert Innes, in the handis of 
Mr. William Jamisone, notar, daitit 1st September, 1539. 

Item, Ane resignation of Elizabeth Habroune, eldest daughter, 
and ane of the heiris, of Adam Habroune of Craigies, and spouse 


LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


217 


to Mr. Alexander Livingstoune of Dunnipeass, of the landis of 
Hogstoune and Plewlandis, in the Kingis hands, in favours of 
Robert Innes of Innermarkie, and Elizabeth Stuart, his spousse, 
and to Robert Innes of Monykebbock, their sone and appeirand 
air, daitit at Inglismaldie, 15th August, 1539. 

Item, Ane sasine given be Robert Innes of Innermarkie, and 
his spouse, Elizabeth Stuart, and his son, of Monykebbock, upon 
the landis of Hogestoun and Plewlandis, under the subscription of 
Mr. William Jamisone, notar, daitit 4th November, 1539. 

Item, Ane saising of Robert Innes of Innermarkie, guidsir to 
Robert Innes, now of Balveny, of the landis of Hogstoune and 
Plewlandis, under the subscription of Mr. Alexander Dowglasse, 
notar, daitit 29th Maii, 1553. 

Item, Ane instrument of saising to Robert Innes, father to 
Robert Innes, now of Balveny, upon the landis of Hogestoun and 
Plewlandis, under the subscription of James Guthrie, notar, 21st 
Maij, 1586. 

Item, The Kingis confirmation and ratification of ane charter 
of alien atione, maid to Jeane Barclaye, Lady of Innermarkie, to 
Robert Innes, her sone, upon the landis of Plewlandis and Hoges- 
toune, daitit at Edinburgh, 1607. 

Item, The King’s confirmation, containing ane novo damus 
upon the landis of Hogstoune and Plewlandis, and Kirkhill of 
Longbryde, to Robert Innes, now of Balveny, and Barbara Burnet, 
his spouse, daitit at Edinburgh, 21st Februar, 1607. 

Item, Ane tack of the teinds of Plewlandis and Hogstoune, 
given be George Douglasse, Bishope of Murraye, with consent of 
the Dean and Chapter, to Robert Innes of Innermarkie, father to 
Robert Innes, now of Balveny, daitit at Spyny, the first and last 
of Maij, 1585. 

Item, Ane tack of the teind sheaves of Hogstoune and Plew¬ 
landis, sett be Allexander Douglass, Bischope of Murraye, to 
Robert Innes, now of Balveny, and to Barbra Burnet, his spouse, 
in lyfrent, and nynteen yeir thereafter, daitit at Elgin, 10th 
Marche, 1607. 

Item, Ane extract of ane proper contract between the Laird of 
Innermarkie and the Laird of Innes, on the landis of Hogstoune 
and Plewlandis, and heirschipe of Innes, daitit at Edinburgh, 
9th Marche, 1635. 


218 


NOTES. 


Which haill wrytes, according to the inventer foresaid, sub¬ 
scribe be us, George Marquis of Huntlye, and Robert Innes of 
Balvenye. We, George Marquis of Huntlye, grant us to have 
receavit fra the said Robert, and bindis and oblissis us, and our 
aires and successoures, to make patent and furthecomminge to the 
said Robert, his aires and successoures, for defence of the saidis 
landis of Hogstoune and Plewlandis, as the said Robert and his 
forsaidis sail be persewit for warrandice of the said landis. In 
witness wherof we have subscribit thir presents, at Plewlandis the 
17th of Februar, Jmvic and sixteen yeires, befor thir witnes, 
Allexander Gordon, Fiar of Strathawon ; Mr. William Gordon 
of Tilligrigie ; James Gordon, in Letterfurie ; and Mr. Alexander 
Innes of Dalliestennie. 

(Sic subscribitur), HUNTLYE. 

ROBERT INNES of Balvenie. 

A. Gordoun, Witnes. 

J. Gordoun, Witnes. 


The original document is at Gordonstown, and the 
minute of contract of sale by which the Marquis of 
Huntly sold these lands to Sir Robert Gordon, dated 
13th September, 1638, is also there. The Marquis 
subsequently sold to Sir Robert the lands of Balor- 
mie, which his Lordship seems to have purchased 
in 1615 from the Douglasses of Whittingham. 

On a rising ground, immediately to the eastward of 
the House of Gordonstown, stood the Parish Church 
of Ogston, with its old churchyard. The parish 
was joined to Kinneddar in the year 1642. The 
new church was built at Drainie, and the united 
parish was called Drainie/'" 

On the site of the old Church of Ogston, in the 

* See Note on next page. 


LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


219 


year 1705, Dame Elizabeth Dunbar, widow of Sir 
Robert Gordon, the Warlock Baronet of Gordons- 
town, erected an elegant mausoleum to the memory 
of her husband, who had died the previous year, and 
to his predecessors in the estate. This is one of the 
finest buildings of the kind in the North of Scotland, 
a most pure imitation of mediaeval Gothic. The in¬ 
ternal arrangements are also in good keeping with 
the external building, and the whole forms a pleasing 
object to the admirers of monumental works. The 
mural tablet to the memory of the Gordon family 
is worth recording, and we give it entire on the 
following page :— 


Note.— The date on the belfry of the Church of Drainie is 1675. 
Michael Cumine was the first minister of Drainie. The inscrip¬ 
tion on his tomb is—“ In memory of that faithful and laborious 
“ servant of Jesus Christ, Michael Cuming, who labored in the 
“ gospell at Kinneddar twenty-nine yeirs, and was very instru- 
“ mental in erecting this edifice. He died in the Lord, February 
“ 20th, 1698, aged fifty-eight yeirs.” 


220 


NOTES. 


17 


s 

R G 


D 

E D 


05 


Here’s a register of the age and death of the most consider¬ 
able persons of the family of Gordonstoun here interred— 
Dame Genewien Petaw, the daughter of Gideon Petaw, Lord 
of Mault, in the Isle of France, widow of John Gordon, Lod. 
of Glenluce and Dean of Salisbury, & ye mother-in-law of 
Sr. Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun, died Deer. 6th, 1643, in 
the 83d year of her age.-Sr. Robert Gordon of Gordons¬ 

toun, son to the Earle of Sutherland, by my Lady Jean 
Gordon, daughter to the Earle of Huntley, died March, 1656, 

aged 77 years.-Dame Lucia Gordon, his Lady, daughter 

to John Gordon, Lod. of Glenluce and Dean of Salisbury, by 

D. Genewieu Petaw, died 7ber, 1680, aged 83 years.- 

Mrs Katharin Gordon, daughter to Sr. Robert Gordon of 
Gord., and spous to Collonel David Barclay of Urie, died 

March, 1663, aged 43 years.-Mr Charles Gordon, son to 

Sr. Rt. Gordon of Gord., died —, 1674, aged 43 years.- 

D. Jean Gordon, daughter to Sr. Rt. Gordon, & spous to Sr. 
Alexr. McKenzie of Coul, died 1676, aged 43 years. Mrs 
Lucia Gordon, daughter to Sr. Rt. Gordon, died befor her 

Father, unmarried, about ye 18 year of her age.-Sr. 

Lodovick Gordon of Gordonstoun, son to Sr. Rt. Gordon, by 
D. Lucia Gordon, died Dcr., 1688, aged 63 years. D. Eliza¬ 
beth Farquhar, his first Lady, daughter to Sr. Robert Farqu- 
har of Munie, by D. Elizabeth Buck, died Nor., 1661, aged 
38 years. Mrs Anna Gordon, daught. to Sr. Lodovick 
Gordon, died unmarried.-Alexr. Gordon, son to Sr. Lodo¬ 
vick Gordon, died 1660.-Benjamin Gordon, son to Sr. 

Lodovick Gordon, died 1662. Lodovick Gordon, son to Sr. 

Lodovick Gordon, died Sber, 1696, aged 43 years.-Sr. 

Robert Gordon of Gordon, son to Sr. Lodovick Gordon, by 
D. Elizabeth Farquhar, died 5 of Sber, 1704, aged 57 years. 

-D. Margaret Forbess, his first Lady, eldest daughter of 

my Ld. Forbess, by Mrs Jean Campbell, died Apr., 1677. 
-William Gordon, son to Sr. Rt. Gordon, by D. Elizabeth 






















LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


221 


Dunbar, daughter to Sr. William Dunbar of Hempriges, died 
18 March, 1701 years. Mrs Margaret Gordon; daughter to 
Sr. Rt. Gordon, by D. Elizabeth Dunbar, died 26 March, 

1703, aged 10 years.-Mrs Katharin Gordon, daughter to 

Sir Rt. Gordon, by D. Elizabeth Dunbar, died 18 March, 
1705, aged 3 years. Mrs Elizabeth Gordon, daughter to Sr. 

Rt. Gordon, by D. Elizabeth Dunbar, died Deer., 1705.- 

Lucy, daughter of Sir Robert Gordon and Dame Elizabeth 

Dunbar, married David Scott of Scotstarvet.-Sir Robert 

Gordon, son of Sir Robert Gordon and Dame Elizabeth 
Dunbar, born 1696, died 1772 ; married 1734, Agnes, 
daughter of Sir William Maxwell of Calderwood, Baronet. 
Dame Agnes Maxwell, died at Lossiemouth, 11th March, 
1808.-Sir Robert Gordon, eldest son of Sir Robert Gor¬ 

don and Dame Agnes Maxwell, born 1736, died unmarried 
2nd June, 1776. He was succeeded by his brother, Sir 
William Gordon, born 1738, died in Edinburgh unmarried 

5th March, 1795.-Lewis and John, younger sons, left no 

issue.-A daughter, Christian, died young. 


Dame Elizabeth Dunbar, widow of Sir Robert 
Gordon, third Baronet of Gordonstown, who erected 
the above monument, was the only child and heiress 
of Sir William Dunbar of Hempriggs. She married, 
for her second husband, the Honourable James 
Sutherland, second son of James second Lord Duffus, 
by whom she also had a family. He assumed the 
name of Dunbar, and was created a baronet, and the 
large, estates of the Dunbar family in Caithness were 
settled on the heir-male of the second marriage. 
There are various monuments in the mausoleum 
besides the above, the Altyre family having been 
interred here since the death of Sir Alexander Pen¬ 
rose Gordon Cumming, great-grandfather of the 












222 


NOTES. 


present Baronet, in 1806. It would be foreign to 
our subject, however, to refer to these, farther than 
to remark that the monuments lately erected by 
Lady Gordon Cumming are particularly ornamental 
and tasteful, and that the whole building has, by her 
Ladyship, been put into the most complete order 
and repair, and a careful examination of it would 
well repay a visit to the admirers of architecture 
and art. 


4. SUTHERLAND OF DUFFUS, AND 
DUNBAR OF THUNDERTON AND DUFFUS. 


The families of Sutherland of Duffus, and Dunbar of 
Thunderton and Duffus, were both connected with 
the Parish of Spynie, and particularly with the loch, 
and we should have been much inclined here to give 
an account of both; but, although we have the most 
complete materials, having given an account of both 
families in Notes on Burghead, we must refer to that 
work on the subject. We must, however, correct an 
error there stated, in which it was observed that the 
Estate of Thunderton was in the Parish of Zonmay, 
while it is properly in the Parish of Longside, in 
the County of Aberdeen. In the Poll Book for the 
County of Aberdeen, of the year 1696, Parish of 
Longside, the following entry occurs :—“ List of 
“ poleable persones within the lands of Thundertone, 
“ pertaineing to Robert Dunbar of Newtoune, who is 



LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


223 


(( 


a 


“ living in Murraye, which land is valued to £133 PoiiBook, 
" 6s. 8d., the hundreth pairt therof payable be the™ ’ page 
tennents, £1 6s. 8d.” The Estate of Thunderton 
came into possession of John Falconer, Warden of 
the Mint, and Archibald Dunbar, eldest son of James 
Dunbar of Newton, on 27th October, 1654. James 
Falconer of Phesdo, eldest son of the above John 
Falconer, disponed his half of the estate to the above 
Archibald Dunbar, on 23d August, 1683. Robert 
Dunbar of Newton having succeeded, sold Thunder- 
ton to his brother, Archibald Dunbar, afterwards of 
Duffus, who again sold it to Gordon of Buthlaw, on 
17th September, 1712. The estate therefore be¬ 
longed to the Dunbars, partly or wholly, about 
fifty-eight years. It lies about four miles from 
Peterhead, and consists of three farms, the rents of 
which amount to about £400 per annum. 


598. 


5. THE ESTATE OF PITGAVENY. 


The Estate of Pitgaveny is situated in the Parish 
of St. Andrew’s, but has been frequently referred to 
in the preceding pages, and is closely connected with 
the Parish and Loch of Spynie. It may be there¬ 
fore interesting to devote a short space to considera¬ 
tion of the deduction of the different proprietors who 
have possessed it. This estate was undoubtedly 
church land, and was situated in the Barony of Kil- 
malemnock. It does not appear in the Rental of 


224 


NOTES. 


the Bishoprick in 1565, and was therefore alienated 
before the Reformation, but it still pays to the Crown 
a large grain feu-duty, as coming in place of the 
Bishop. The property was early in possession of 
the family of Douglas of Pittendreich, and continued 
with them down to about the year 1630, when it 
was purchased by Alexander Brodie of Lethen, who, 
with consent of his eldest son, Alexander Brodie, by 
disposition, dated in July and August, 1657, con¬ 
veyed the property to David Brodie, his second son, 
and the heirs-male of his body, whom failing, to 
return to the said Alexander Brodie, his father, and 
his heirs-male, and others succeeding to him in his 
heritable estate. David Brodie succeeded, by the 
death of his elder brother, to the Estate of Lethen, 
and executed a procuratory of resignation on 2d 
August, 1697, whereby he resigned the lands of 
Pitgaveny to himself in liferent, and to Thomas 
Brodie, lawful son to James Brodie, his brother- 
german, in fee, and the heirs-male of his body, 
whom failing, to himself (the said David Brodie), and 
his heirs and assignees. Thomas Brodie succeeded 
to the estate, and married Mary Haldane, daughter 
of Patrick Haldane of Lanrick, and by contract of 
marriage, dated 13th March, and 1st and 23d April, 
1697, he obliged himself to resign the estate in 
favour of himself, and the heirs-male of the marriage, 
whom failing, to his heirs-male by any future mar¬ 
riage, whom failing, to the hems of tailzie, mentioned 
in the disposition granted by David Brodie to him. 
Thomas Brodie had by this marriage one son, David 
Brodie, and four daughters, viz. :—Ann, married to 



LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


225 


the Rev. Alexander Irvine, Minister of Elgin; Agnes, 
married to the Rev. George Gordon, Minister of 
Alves ; Jean, married to Robert Leslie, Merchant 
in Elgin; and Margaret. David Brodie of Pitgaveny 
married Barbara Gordon, daughter of Gilbert Gordon, 
Merchant, and Bailie of Inverness, and by contract 
of marrriage, dated 29th April, 1735, he provided 
the estate to the heirs-male of the marriage; whom 
failing, to the heirs-male of any subsequent marriage; 
whom failing, to his nearest heirs or assignees. He 
died without issue, and his sisters procured them¬ 
selves served nearest and lawful heirs-portioners 
and of provision to then* brother, on 28th October, 
1746. This service was attempted to be reduced by 
Alexander Brodie of Lethen, Charles Brodie, his 
brother, and Thomas Brodie, Writer to the Signet, 
who claimed the estate for the Lethen family, as 
heirs-male, and of tailzie, under the original destina¬ 
tion. The Court, however, after a full hearing, 
found that the original destination was effectually 
altered by the contract of marriage of the last David 
Brodie, and that his sisters had right to succeed as 
heirs-portioners. The decree is dated 9th January, 
1750. Previous to the date of the decision, the 
heiresses-portioners had exposed the estate to public 
roup, and it was purchased by Alexander Brebner, 
Merchant in Portsoy, for £33,000 Scots (£2750 stg.), 
but under deduction of £4800 Scots, as the value of 
the liferent of Barbara Gordon, widow of David 
Brodie of Pitgaveny. The date of the sale was the 
6th October, 1747 ; but, in consequence of the law¬ 
suit, the price was not paid, nor the disposition 


226 


NOTES. 


granted to the purchaser, until 31st July, 1751. 
Mr. Brebner did not keep the estate long. He got 
embarrassed in his circumstances, and granted secu¬ 
rities over it, and on 29th April, 1765, with consent 
of Margaret Brown, his wife, for her liferent right, 
he sold the property to Alexander Brander, junior? 
Merchant in Elgin (afterwards Provost), for behoof 
of James Brander, Merchant in Lisbon, second law¬ 
ful son to John Brander, Merchant in Elgin. The 
price paid was £4185 10s. sterling, being a rise of 
more than £1400 on its value from the time Mr. 
Brebner bought it in 1747. On 31st January, 1775, 
Mr. Alexander Brander, Merchant in London, elder 
brother of Mr. James Brander, purchased from the 
Earl of Fife, then proprietor of Kinneddar and 
Aikenhead, these estates, for £10,500 sterling. Kin¬ 
neddar and Pitgaveny lay contiguous to one another, 
and thus the two brothers got command of the out¬ 
fall of the Loch of Spynie, which enabled them to 
execute the extensive drainage of the loch they 
carried out a few years after this period, as narrated 
in the text. The Estates of Kinneddar and Pit¬ 
gaveny became united in a few years after the pur¬ 
chase, in the person of John Brander, son of James 
Brander of Pitgaveny, and nephew of Alexander 
Brander of Kinneddar. John Brander died about 
the year 1824, and was succeeded by his son, Colonel 
James Brander, who, dying without issue, was suc¬ 
ceeded by his sister, Mary, wife of Sir Archibald 
Dunbar, late of Northfield, Baronet, and on her 
Ladyships death, in 1869, she was succeeded by 
her son, Captain James Dunbar Brander, now of 


LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


227 


Pitgaveny. The present family have possessed Pit- 
gaveny 105 years, and Kinneddar 95 years, from 
the respective periods of purchase. It may be men¬ 
tioned that Mr. James Brander, after his purchase, 
erected a very handsome house on the Estate of 
Pitgaveny, in the modern style of architecture, 
which, after the lapse of a century, still stands 
entire, and in good order, and there are few better 
or even equal to it in the country. 

6. We have referred in the text to the contract 
entered into between the proprietors on the banks of 
the Lossie for preventing the river from overflowing 
and damaging their lands, in the neighbourhood of 
the Loch of Spynie, in the year 1706. Since the 
time these remarks were written, we have procured 
a full extract of the contract, which is chiefly valu¬ 
able for containing the names of the proprietors, and 
the state of the drainage of the river at the time. 
It is as follows :— 

Att Elgin, the second day of May, one thousand seven 
hundred and seven years, in presence of Thomas Tulloch of Tan- 
nachie, Commissar of Murray, compeired personally James Craig, 
Writter in Elgin, as procurator law’ly constitute for Sir Harie 
Innes of that ilk; Sir Alexr. Innes of Coxtoun; Master James 
Sutherland, Advocat; John Innes of Leuchars; George Innes of 
Dunkinty; Thomas Brody of Pitgavenie; Alexander Dunbar 
of Bishopmilne; and gave in the contract underwtn ; desiring ye 
same to be insert and registrat in ye said Commissar his court 
books, conform to ye clause of registration yrein contained, which 
desire the said Commissr. thought reasonable, and therefore 
decerned and ordained the same to be insert and registrat in his 
said books; interponed, and interpones his decreet and authority 

o 2 


228 


NOTES. 


thereto, to the effect forsaid, whereof the tenor follous:— “Wee, 
Sir Harrie Innes of that ilk ; Sir Alexander limes of Coxtoun ; 
Master James Sutherland, Advocat, second lawfull son to the 
deceast James Lord Duffus, for myself and the now Lord Duffus 
his interest; John Innes of Leuchars ; George Innes of Dunkinty; 
Thomas Brodie of Pitgavenie; Alexander Dunbar of Bishopmilne, 
Shereff of Moray, hereters of the adjacent lands on the east and 
west sides of the River of Lossie, from below the Church of St. 
Andrew’s and downward, taking to our consideration the great loss 
and damnage wee and each of us sustain in our estats, by our not 
maintaining ye banks of ye said river, which our predecessors in 
the said lands were in use to doe, and confining her to ye present 
course and channel, where now she runs, and wherein she has been 
put by art and force, which has occasioned an overflowing of our 
adjacent lands at severall places ; and wee being now resolved, 
from the feme of our former loss, to maintain ye banks of ye sd. 
river, for our mutual preservatn. of our estats in time coming, do 
hereby bind and oblige 11 s, and each of us, and others, our heirs, 
and successors succeeding to us in our said lands and estats, not 
only to maintain and sujiport ye banks of the said river on each 
sid thereof, from below the sd Church of Saint Andrew’s, and 
downward, where our or either of our estates doe lye contiguous 
thereto, by raising and ffortyfying the banks yrof with earth, feall, 
stone, crealls, &ca., &ca., where need doeth so require, but like, 
wayes to fill up the breaches alreddie med, or to be made, within 
the bounds aforsaid, and for that effect we bind and oblige us, and 
our forsaids, to concurr with one anoyr, and contribut our assist¬ 
ance with men and horses, for perfecting and maintaining the said 
work, as occasion shall require, and hereby gives and grants full 
power and liberty to cast feall and turff, and to cutt green wood 
(not enclosed) for making of creells, on our respective estats, nixt 
adjacent to ye place so to be ffortified, maintained, and repaired, 
within the bounds aforsd., and that of such timber and ground as 
the heretors of the adjacent lands and wood shall condescend on. 
The ground to be cutt not being above one hundred spaces dis¬ 
tant from the place to be fortified, or thereby, and that under the 
penalty of ffyve hundred merks usuall Scots money, to be payed 
by the partie failling, to the partie performin, or willing to per- 
forme, by and attour performance thereof, and reparin of the 


LOCH OF SPYNIE. 


229 


damnages to be sustained therethrow. And for ye more security 
we are content and consent that thir presents be insert and regis- 
trat in the books of Councill and Sessione, or any oyr competent 
judicatory books within this kingdom, therein to remain for pre¬ 
servation, or if neid beis, that all exectun necessar pass hereon, in 
forme as effeirs, and to that effect constitut James Craig, Writer 
in Elgin, our Prors. In witness whereof thir presents, wten by 
Alexr. Dunbar, serviter to James Wiseman, Wter in Elgin, are 
subd wd our hands at Elgin the twenty-eight day of May, Jmvijc 
and six years, before these witnesses, to the sufftiene of the sd 
Sir Harie, John, and George Innes, and Thomas Brody of Pit- 
gavenie, viz.:—Lodovick Dunbar of Grange ; Captain Robert 
Urquhart of Burdsyards; Ludovick Brodie, and John Innes, 
Wters in Edr., and the said James Wiseman, with George Brodie 
of Ashleisk, and Colonel William Grant, also witnesses to the 
subscriptione of ye said Alexr. Dunbar of Bishopmilne, and to the 
subscriptione of the said Sir Alexr. Innes, Doctor Jonathan Forbes, 
and the sd James Wiseman. Sic subscribitur—Harie Innes ; John 
Innes : Tho. Brodie; Geo. Innes; Alexr. Dunbar; James Suther¬ 
land ; Alexr. Innes; Rob. Urquhart, Witness; Lo. Dunbar, Wit¬ 
ness ; Geo. Brodie, Witness; Lud. Brodie, Witness; Ja. Wiseman, 
Witnes; Jo. Innes, Witness; Will. Grant, Witness; Jon. Forbes, 
Witness. 

Extracted by me, 

(Signed) JAMES ANDERSON, Clk. 


The family of Innes, which, in the preceding cen¬ 
tury, had very extensive possessions in the North, 
having, either by the chief or cadets of the house, 
large estates in Banff, Moray, Boss, and Caithness, 
was now in a very declining state, still the head of 
the house, and three cadets, subscribe the above 
bond, showing that they were still powerful in the 
Lowlands of Moray. In the course of the next half 
century they had nearly lost all their estates. 


230 


NOTES. 


Ill—ESTATE OF SPYNIE. 


1. The following document bears the date of 1782, 
and throws considerable light on the history of the 
Estate of Spynie and surrounding country. It is 


verbatim, and without 


copied from the 



alteration as to spelling or otherwise. The paper is 
docqueted in the handwriting of Provost Alexander 
Brander, of Elgin, as follows :— 


Memoriall relative to the Barrony of Spynie — 1782. 


1451.—King James the 2d, by his charter on Record, granted 
to John Winchester, the Bishop of Moray, the many lands of that 
see, errected them into a Barrony, called the Barrony of Spynie, 
containing, inter alia, the Port and Harbour of Lossie, and Fishing 
of the same. 

The same year the town and village of Spynie was errected 
into a free Burgh of Barrony, w T ith liberty of mercates and mer¬ 
chandizes, as ample as any Burgh of Barrony in Scotland. 

Patrick Hepburn, Commendator of Scoon, and Bishop of 
Moray, finding the Reformation approaching, feud out a great deal 
of the Patrimonies of that Bishopric. 

1565.—In those days the Bishop’s Estates w T ere known by 
different Barronies, and his rent rates made up as such. In the 
Advocates’ Library there is an exact rentall, whereby the Barrony 
of Spynie is composed of the following lands :—Town of Sp} T nie ; 
the Lands and Miln of Bishopmiln ; the Lands of Myreside ; Aul- 
drochtie ; Panns; Inchbroke ; fishings of Lossie; Saltcotts ; Bax¬ 
ter’s Croft; and some houses and crofts in and near Elgin, and 
Boyle’s Yards there. 

The Barrony of Kinneddar consisted of the lands of Kin- 




ESTATE OF SPYNIE. 


231 


nedar, Gardens, and Palace thereof; Ardivatt; Muirtown ; White- 
ley; Oakenhead; Meikle Drainy; Little Drainy, alias Salterhill; 
Ettles. 

1568.—In this year he fen’d, with consent of his Chapter, to 
James Earl of Moray, Regent, the Lands of Kinnedar; Miln and 
Lands of Oakenhead; Harbours of Stotfield, and many others, for 
payment of certain feu-duties, and this Charter was confirmed by 
James the 6th, 24th Febry., 1620, as appears by Public 
Records. 

1592.—After the Reformation, the whole Patrimony of the 
Bishop did fall to the crown, and in the year 1590 the same was 
errected into a temporal Lordship, in favours of Mr. Alexander 
Lindsay, Lord of Spynie, by Charter confirmed by Parliament, 
dated the 6th May, 1590. This Charter contains the Barrony of 
Spynie—cum castris, turribus, Fortaliciis, molendiniis, multuris 
et eorum sequelis, Lads, parcis, wardis, pratis, forestis, Lacu- 
bus, salmonum Piscationibus, aliisque piscationibus quibuscunqe, 
partibus, pendiculis, annexis, villis ac austis, tenen, tenand ter- 
rarum libere earundem, et omnibus suis pertinen jacen infra vice 
de Elgin et Forres, cum privilegiis jurisdictionibus et immunitati- 
bus ejusdem, totas et integras terras, Dominium et Baroniam de 
Kinnedar; and then follows specially the whole other lands, with 
castles, Towers, woods, lakes , wards, meadows, forrests, salmon 
fishings, &ca. 

This Charter excepts the subaltern rights of the said Lands. 
Lord Spynie was in use to exerce his right at large, by disposing 
of Lands, Tiends, and Patronages. 

Particularly the said Alexander Lindsay, Lord Spynie, by con¬ 
tract, 8 June, 1602, and Charter of this date, sold, annailzied, 
feued, and dispon’d, wfith consent of Alexand. Master of Spynie, 
and Jean Lyon, Countess of Angus, his spouse, to and in favour of 
Alexander Dunbar of Cumnock, Sheriff of Moray—totum et integ¬ 
rum, nostrum castrum, Lacum, turrem et fortalicium de Spynie, 
uno cum veridaris ejusdem, vulgo lie Green, cum domibus, 
sedificiis, columbariis, hortis, pomariis ac omnibus suis pertinentiis, 
una cum sylva de Spynie ac hereditario fundali jure proprietatis 
super quo fundo, sylva eadem crescit, cum plena potestate et liber- 
tate cedendi, vendendi et disponendi omnes et singulas arbores, in 


232 


NOTES. 


dicta silva crescen, eademq postea conservare, seu alias fundum 
ejusd labere, dicto Alexandro suisque predict, maxime videbitur 
expediens, una etiam cum Lacu de Spy me, et suis pertinen, jacen 
infra regalitatem de Spynie, et vicecomitatum de Elgin et Forres. 

This contract is registrate in the Books of Council and Session, 
6 Janry., 1603, upon which infeftment follow’d the last of August, 
1602, under the subscription and sign of George Sutherland and 
James Low, Notaries Publick, and registrate in the Secretaries 
Register of Elgin and Nairn, the 2d October, 1602. 

Episcopacy was restored by Act, 1606, chap. 2d, and Bishops 
endued with their Benefices. 

1607.—Alexander Bishop of Moray confirms the above rights? 
but in it the Castle and Loch is not comprehended. 

1609.—The same Alexander Douglas, Bishop of Moray, with 
consent of the Dean and Chapter, confirms the foresaid right to 
the Lands of Kinnedar to James Earl of Moray, and grants a 
novo damus thereon. 

1658.—Alexander Earl of Moray having contracted great debts, 
for discharge thereof he wadsetted the Lands of Kinnedar, and 
afterwards, by Disposition the 1 February, 1658, as Heir serv’d 
and retour’d to James Earl of Moray, his father, narrating the 
wadsetts, and receiving a full price for the Reversion, discharged 
the power thereof, and of new disponed the Lands specially 
numerated, which Disposition will be found on record in the Books 
of Council and Session, 14th June, 1708; and a Charter thereupon, 
under the great seal, will be found in favours of Alexander Brodie 
of that Ilk, 10 March, 1658, whereupon infeftment followed, and 
is registrate in the particular Register of Sasines, 26th August, 1658. 


ESTATE OF SPYNIE. 


233 


Lord Spynie. 


2. We have mentioned in the text that Alexander 
Lindsay, fourth son of David, ninth Earl of Craufurd, 
was created a peer by the title of Lord Spynie, on 
17th April, 1593. He had previously received a 
Crown grant of the temporalities of the See of 
Moray. He was long a favourite of King James 
VI., and, through the King’s influence, was married 
to Jean Lyon, daughter of the Lord Glammis, and 
widow of the Earl of Angus. By this lady he had 
two sons, viz., Alexander, second Lord Spynie; 
Honourable John Lindsay, who died young; Honour¬ 
able Anne Lindsay, married to Sir Robert Graham 
of Innermay; Honourable Margaret Lindsay, married 
to John Erskine of Dun. He and his lady seem to 
have taken no interest in their northern estates, but 
committed the charge of them to their Baron Bailies, 

Innes of Leu chars and Cotts. Indeed the Spynie 
Estate did not long remain in the family, having 
been re-purchased by the Crown, in 1606. Lord 
Spynie was unfortunately killed in the street of 
Edinburgh, in July, 1607, under the following cir¬ 
cumstances :—The Earl of Crawford having assassi- Douglas’ 
nated his kinsman, Sir Walter Lindsay, Sir David Wood’s edition 

. vol. 2, page 518 

Lindsay of Edzell, nephew of Sir Walter, collected 
an armed force to avenge the murder. The parties 
met in Edinburgh, when Lord Spynie, interposing 


234 


NOTES. 


Lives of the 
Lindsays, vol. 
2, page 262. 


between them, was inadvertently killed by Edzell. 
His death was much regretted for the many good 
qualities he possessed, and the hopes his friends 
entertained of his being able to revive again the 
ancient house of Crawford to its former splendour. 
A curious traditional story prevails in the country 
that the death of the first Lord Spynie occurred 
from the circumstance of his having seduced a sister 
of Lindsay of Edzell, and that her brother murdered 
him to avenge the family disgrace. The story, how¬ 
ever, seems a pure romance. Lord Lindsay gives the 
following account of it:—“ Edzell had two sisters, 
“ both of them, I believe, left early motherless. The 
“ eldest, named Margaret, remembered in tradition 
“ as the ‘ Proud Lady of Edzell,’ and married to 
“ Watson of Aitherny, the representative of an 
“ ancient and opulent family in Fifeshire, which was 
“ ruined through her extravagance. The youngest, 
“ Janet, a lovely and graceful girl, whose fate throws 
“ a shade of still deeper sadness over the darkening 
“ fortunes of her house. She fell a victim to the 
“ arts of the younger son of a noble Scottish family, 
“ who ruined and deserted her, and her story has 
“ been commemorated in the following ballad, or 
“ rather in the accompanying legend, in which the 
“ dim memory of tradition has mixed up her fate 
“ with the feud between the houses of Edzell and 
“ Crawford in 1607, confounding her brother with 
“ David the young Laird of Edzell, who attacked 
“ the Master of Crawford in the High Street of 
“ Edinburgh, and her lover with the Lord Spynie, 
“ who was inadvertently slain on that occasion.” 


ESTATE OF SPYNIE. 


235 


The ballad is as follows :— 

Lord Spynie, ye may pu’ the rose, 

And spare the lily flower, 

When ye gae through the garden green, 

To woo in lady’s bower. 

And ye may pu’ the lightsome thyme, 

And leave the lonesome rue ; 

For lang and sair will the lady mourn 
That ye gae there to woo. 

For ye will look and talk of luve, 

And kindly, kindly smile, 

An’ vow by grace, and a that’s gude, 

And lay the luring wile. 

Tis sair to rob the bonnie bird 
That makes yon melodie ; 

Tis cruel to win a woman’s luve, 

An’ no hae luve to gie. 

I wadna hae your wilfu’ hand, 

Though a’ the earth were thine; 

Ye’ve broken many a maiden’s peace, 

Ye’ve mair than broken mine. 

I wadna hae your faithless heart, 

Tis no your ain to gie; 

But gin ye ever think o’ heaven, 

Oh ye maun think o’ me. 

Lord Lindsay adds—“A daughter was the fruit of 
“ this ill-omened love, of whom descendants still 
“ exist in England, and the faithless lover left the 
“ country, and was killed at the battle of Almanza, 
“ in Spain.” 


236 


NOTES. 


Alexander, second Lord Spynie, succeeded his 
father in 1607. He had charters of the Lordship of 
Spynie, with the title of a Lord of Parliament, 16th 
July, 1621 ; of the lands of Careston, 19th March, 
1623 ; of Leyes, in Forfarshire, 29th April, 1624 ; 
and of the Barony of Finhaven, 22d January, 1631. 
He served under Gustavus Adolphus, King of 
Sweden, in the German wars, and had the character 
of a gallant officer. He died in March, 1646. By 
his first wife, Joanna Douglas, he had no issue. By 
his second marriage, with Lady Margaret Hay, only 
daughter of George, first Earl of Kinnoul, he had— 


1. Alexander, Master of Spynie, who married Lady Magdalene 
Carnegie, second daughter of John first Earl of Northesk. 

2. George, third Lord Spynie. 

1. Daughter, Margaret, married to William Fullarton of 
Fullarton, and had issue. 

2. Daughter, Anne Lindsay, died unmarried. 


George third Lord Spynie was served heir to his 
father and brother 12th June, 1646. He was a great 
supporter of King Charles I. in his wars, and ruined 
his estate in the service. He accompanied Charles 
II. to England, and was engaged in the battle of 
Worcester ; was there taken prisoner, and sent to the 
Tower of London. On the death of Ludovick, four¬ 
teenth Earl of Crawford, the male representation of 
that family devolved on Lord Spynie, who was 
served heir-male of David ninth Earl of Crawford, 
8th November, 1666. He died without issue in 1672. 

After the death of George, third Lord Spynie, 



ESTATE OF SPYNIE. 


237 


the representation of the family, in the female line, 
devolved on Margaret, his sister, wife of William 
Fullarton of Fullarton, near Meigle. Their only son 
married a daughter of Carnegie of Boysack, near 
Arbroath, and was grandfather of Colonel William 
Fullarton of Spynie, who married his own cousin, 

Miss Carnegie, heiress of Boysack. Their son, in 
right of his mother, and according to the deed of Jervise’s Lands 
entail, assumed the name and title of Lindsay Car- page 292. 
negie of Spynie and Boysack, and by his wife, 
descended of the family of Strachan of Thornton, 
he had several children. James, their eldest son, 
died in North America, in 1814. William, the next 
son, who was an officer of artillery, and served in 
Portugal and the West Indies, succeeded to the 
estate, and married a daughter of the Earl of 
Northesk. He was Convener of the County of For¬ 
far, and heir of line and representative of the Lords 
of Spynie. He died some years ago, and was 
succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Henry Alex¬ 
ander, born 1836. The seat of the family is at 
Kinblethmont, near Arbroath. 

The peerage of Spynie was claimed in 1785 by 
the great-grandfather of the present proprietor, and 
fully heard in the House of Lords; but the claim 
was rejected, on the supposed ground that the title 
was only granted to the male descendants of the first 
Lord Spynie. It is probable if the claim had been 
made at a later date that it would have been sus¬ 
tained, as the evidence to bear upon it could now be 
made more complete, and would show that the title 
descended to females. 


238 


NOTES. 


The family have now no connection with the 
Parish of Spynie, except that they hold the patron¬ 
age, and have presented the last three parochial 
clergymen. 


Family of Brodie of that Ilk. 


3. This family is of undoubted antiquity, and probably 
was of the stock of the ancient Moravienses, or of 
that which was introduced in place of the Moray 
men, in the reign of Malcolm IV., when the great 
migration took place. They carry stars in their coat 
armorial, as do the other old families of Moray and 
Innes. The name of Brodie is purely local, so we 
presume all persons of the name in every part of the 
world owe their origin to the parent stock in the 
Parish of Dyke. Although the family have thus 
been long located in the Province of Moray, less is 
known of their history than of almost any other of 
similar antiquity. This has been accounted for by 
the fact that all their papers and charters were 
destroyed when Brodie House was burnt by Lord 
Lewis Gordon, in 1645. It does not, however, ex¬ 
plain entirely the almost entire want of information 
about them, and it may therefore be presumed that 
their estate was not large, nor were they much known 
as having taken a share in public affairs until the 
middle or close of the 16th century, when they 
somewhat suddenly take a prominent part in the 


ESTATE OF SPYNIE. 


239 


county, and so continue down to our own time. 
The Brodie family were proprietors of the Estate of 
Spynie for about eighty years, and of the lands of 

Kinneddar and Aikenhead, in the adjoining Parish 
of Drainie, for about 125 years. They were thus 

connected with the Loch of Spynie both on the south 
and north sides, and had the command of the out¬ 
fall of the water. The race of Brodie is deduced as 
follows :— 


1. Malcolm Thane of Brodie, in the reign of Alexander III. Genealogy of 

He died in 1285, and had a son, Brodie^ Family, 

2. Michael Filins Malcolmi, Thanus de Brothie and Dyke. ^Xurne! 6 ’ 
He is said to have had a charter from King Robert Bruce in 1314. * Sussex - 

3. Joannes de Brothie is mentioned in 1376 as in attendance 
on the Earl of Mar, and also in the Chartulary of Moray, 1380. 

4. Thomas de Brothie, also mentioned in Chartulary, 1386. 

5. John de Brothie. 

6. Richard de Brothie and his wife, buried at Dyke, 16th Sep¬ 
tember, 1446. 

7. John Brothie of that ilk. Granted a thirlage of the Estate 
of Brodie to the Prior of Pluscarden, 1466. Assisted the Mac¬ 
kenzies against the Macdonalds at the battle of Blair-na-path. 

8. Alexander de Brothie of that ilk is mentioned in a warrant 
of the Lords of Council, 1484. 

9. John Thane of Brothie. Is mentioned in the Chartulary of 
Moray, 1492. He was succeeded by his son, 

10. Alexander Brodie of Brodie married Janet Douglas. Had 
a charter from William Hay of Lochloy to himself and spouse ? 

1514. Sat on the service of Hugh Lord Lovat, 10th January, 

1524. 


11. Thomas Brodie of Brodie married Agnes Schaw. Signed 
a grant of thirlage to the Prior of Pluscarden’s mill, 1540. Sat 
on the service of Archibald Campbell of Calder, 1546. Had a 
charter under the Great Seal to himself and spouse, 1547. 

12. Alexander Brodie of Brodie succeeded in 1550. Married, 



240 


NOTES. 


1553, 1st, Marjory, daughter of Robert Dunbar of Durris, by 
whom he had one son, David. His first wife died before the year 
1569. He married, 2d, Margaret, daughter of John Hay of Loch- 
loy and Park, widow of Dunbar of Bennagefield, by whom he had 
five sons and five daughters. He died in 1583. His second wife 
died in 1609. An attempt was made by the relatives of the 
second wife to disinherit David, the son of the first marriage, in 
favour of George, the oldest son of the second marriage, but it 
was not successful. 

13. David succeeded his father in 1583. He was born in 
1553. He married, 1584, Janet, youngest daughter of John Hay 
of Lochloy and Park, sister of his own stepmother. By her, who 
died in 1607, he had seven sons, viz. :—first, David, who succeeded 
him; second, Alexander, who purchased Lethen, Pitgaveny, &c.; 
third, John, Minister of Auldearn, and Dean of Moray, ancestor 
of Whitewreath; fourth, William, in Tearie, afterwards of Colt- 
field ; fifth, Ninian, in Calsayford; sixth, Francis, in Leylands, 
afterwards of Milntoun and Inverlochtie ; seventh, Joseph, minister 
of Keith, afterwards of Forres, ancestor of Muiresk. The sons 
were all able, talented, and well-doing men, and by them the 
fortunes of the family, both in its chief and cadent branches, were 
laid deep at this time. David, the father, died in 1626. 

14. David, born 1586, married Catherine, daughter of Thomas 
Dunbar of Grange, Dean of Moray, by whom he had Alexander, 
his successor. David, born 1620, died without issue, 1653. Joseph 
of Asleisk, who married, 1st, Christian Baillie, a daughter of Jervis- 
woode, by whom he had one daughter; and, 2d, Isabel, daughter 
of Dundas of Duddingston, by whom he had a son, who carried 
on the line of this family. William, who died without issue. 
Grizel, married to Walter Kinnaird, Younger of Culbin, and 
Elizabeth, married to Colin Campbell of Braichlie and Ardersier, 
second son of Sir John Campbell of Calder. David Brodie of 
Brodie died 1632. His widow married Alexander Dunbar of 
Westfield, Sheriff of Moray. 

15. Alexander, born 1617, succeeded his father, David Brodie. 
He married, in 1635, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Sir Robert 
Innes of Innes, Baronet, and widow of John Urquhart of Craigs- 
ton. She died in 1640, and left one son and a daughter, viz. :— 


ESTATE OF SPYNIE. 


241 


James, who succeeded his father in the estate, and Grizel, born 
1636, married to Sir Robert Dunbar of Grangehill. Alexander 
Brodie was sent to England for his education in 1628, and returned 
in 1632, the year of his father’s death. In that and the following 
year he was a student at King’s College, Aberdeen. He had very 
early religious impressions; was a Covenanter, and followed the 
strictest Presbyterian rules. His connection with the family of 
Innes confirmed him in his religious sentiments. In 1646 he had 
the misfortune to have his House of Brodie burnt, and all his 
papers destroyed, by Lord Lewis Gordon, son of the Marquis of 
Huntly, a follower of Montrose. He was Member of Parliament 
for the County of Elgin in 1643; and, as a ruling elder, was re¬ 
turned to the General Assemblies of the Church, which then 
exercised great power. He, along with the Earl of Cassillis, and 
other two, were sent Commissioners to treat with Charles II., at 
the Hague, in 1649. On his return he was appointed a Lord of 
Session, but, in the distracted state of the times, the Court sat 
very little. He was again appointed a judge by Cromwell in 1658, 
along with the English lawyers who then took charge of the Court 
of Session, but the restoration of Charles II. deprived him of 
office, which he had taken very unwillingly. After this time he 
lived very much at Brodie, taking an active share in local business, 
and also engaged in religious matters. His diary, which begins on 
22d January, 1655, is continued with some breaks up to 16th 
April, 1680. Among much religious meditation, it contains a 
deal of information on the history of the times, both public and 
local, and is an interesting work. Part of it was published in 
Edinburgh in 1740, and a complete edition of all that remains of 
it was published by the Spalding Club, under the able editorship 
of Mr. David Laing, of Edinburgh, in 1863. Although greatly 
occupied with religious and political matters, Lord Brodie was not 
inattentive to his private affairs, and was possessed of abundance 
of ready-money. It is probable that at this time the lands of 
Monaughty were acquired. The fine Estate of Kinneddar was 
purchased from James Earl of Moray, first upon wadset, in 1648, 
and afterwards absolutely, in 1658.* Lord Brodie after this 


* I have before me, while I write the above, the original contract of wadset 

P 


242 


NOTES. 


period seems to have led a life of considerable anxiety and trouble. 
After the restoration of the Royal House of Stuart, in 1660, he 
was a marked man, and considered as opposed to the Government, 
both in civil and ecclesiastical affairs. He appears, however, to 
have walked with great prudence and circumspection in a very 
distracted and troubled period—bewailing in his diary the evil 
times in which his lot was cast. In his latter days his health was 


between James Earl of Moray and Alexander Brodie of that ilk, dated 9th September, 
1648, which proceeds as follows 

“ Att Elgin the nynt day of September, the yeir of God Jajvjc and furtie-aughfc 
yeirs, It is appoyntit, contractit, faithfullie oblist, agriet, and endit, betwixt ane 
nobill and mightie Lord James Erie of Murray, Lord Doune and Abernethie, on the 
ane pairt, and Alexr. Brodie of that Ilk on the othir, in manner, form, and effect as 
after followes That is to say, the said nobill Lord grants him to have receivit in 
borroweing from ye said Alexr. all and haill ye sum me of twentie-nine thousand 
markis usuall Scottis monie, qrof ye said nobill Lord holds him weill contentit 
satisfied in paymt, and for him, his airs, exrs., and assigneys exonerit, quit, claimed, 
and dischairgit ye said Alexr. Brodie, his airs, exrs., and all utheris qusomr it may 
concern, of ye said surame, renouncand by thir presents ye exceptione of non 
numerats mony, and all othir exceptiones yt may be objectit to ye contrair ; for 
securitie of payment, and redemptione of ye said summe of twentie-nine thousand 
markis monie forsd, ye said nobill Lord has sauld, annalziet, and dispon’d, and be ye 
tenorre herof, sellis, annalzies, and dispons to ye said Alexr. Brodie, his airs-maill, 
assigneys, and successoures quhatsomever, all and haill ye toune and landis of 
Kinneddar, wt ye cunningers, meaddous, yairds, ruinous Pailis, pairtis, pendicles, 
and pertinentis yrof, all lyand within ye Barrony of Kinneddar, Regalitie of Spynie, 

and Sheriffdome of Elgin and Forres—.wt ye Harbour of Stotfauld, 

priviledges and commodities yrof, and pertinentis, all lyand as saidis— 

The testing clause is as follows :— 

In witnes qrof thir prs., written be Andrew Young, Wrter in Elgin, and sub¬ 
scry vit be haill ye saids parties, day, zeir, and place above wtin, before thir witnesses 
—Sr. Robert Innes of yat Ilk, Knicht Barronet; Alexr. Brodie of Lethen ; Mr John 
Hay, Commissy of Murraye; Francis Brodie, in Ballivat; Mr David Stewart of 
Newtoune ; James Dunbar, in Ester Innes ; and Andrew Young, Wrter, forsaid. 

(Sic subscribitur), MURRAY. 

AL. BRODIE of that Ilk. 

Robert Innes of that Ilk, Witnes. 

Alexander Brodie of Lethen, Wittnes. 

David Stewart, Witnes. 

Jhon Hay, Witnes. 

James Dunbar, Witnes. 

Andrew Young, Wrter, and Witnes. 

The Earl of Moray seems at this period to have been in a very depressed state. 
He sold to his son-in-law, Lord Duffus, the lands of Ardgay, Legat, and Kintrae, and 
the fine old mansion-house in Elgin. 



ESTATE OF SPYNIE. 


243 


very bad, and he suffered much from pain and sickness. The last 
entry in his diary is on the 16th April, 1680. He there records— 

“ I heard read Job 15-20,” &c. He died on the following night. 

His son, on the 17th April, writes—“This night, betwixt 12 at Diary, p. 425. 
“ night and 2 of the morning, being Sabbath morning, dyed my 
“ precious, worthie, and dear father.” Being born in 1617, he 
had reached the age of sixty-three. He was truly a good man, 
and his memory is blest. 

16. James, only son of the preceding laird, was born 1637. 

He married, in 1659, Lady Mary Kerr, fifth daughter of William 
third Earl of Lothian, by whom he had nine daughters, viz. :— 

Anne, married, 1679, William twelfth Lord Forbes, she died 1710; 

Katharine, born 1663, married, 1682, Robert Dunbar of Grange- 
hill, her cousin-german; Elizabeth, married, 1686, Alexander 
Cumming of Altyre ; Grizel, married, 1685, Robert Dunbar of 
Dunphail; Emilia, married, 1692, George Brodie of Asleisk, her 
father’s cousin-german, and successor in the estate ; Yere, born 
1672, married, 1694, Joseph Brodie of Muiresk, she died 1698 ; 

Margaret, born 1673, married, 1698, James Brodie of Whitehill, 
brother of George Brodie of Asleisk; Lillias, born 1679, married, 

1st, Patrick Cumming, Chirurgeon in Inverness; 2d, in 1708, 

Alexander Chivaz of Muirton ; Henrietta died before the year 
1717, unmarried. James Brodie continued his father’s diary from 
17th April, 1680, to 1st February, 1685. He was fined <£24,000 
Scots for refusing the Test Act, but it is doubtful if he paid it. 

He makes the following entry in his diary on the subject:—“ One 
“ of thir days also I was fynd in two thousand pound sterlin, or 
“ 24,000 lib. Scotts. The world has bein my idol, and the love of 
“ it and covetousnes the root of much evil, and the Lord justlie 
“ may punish in this.” He purchased the Estate of Penick, and 
was a good manager of his affairs. He was a good, religious man ? 
but had not the talent of his father, and was much inferior to him 
in every way. He sometimes indulged too freely in the convivi¬ 
alities and excesses of the table, then so prevalent, when thrown 
in the way of pleasant company—a backsliding from the path of 
duty which in his diary he frequently bewails. He died in 1708, 
and his wife, Lady Mary Kerr, died the same year, only a day or 
two before her husband. 


p o 


244 


NOTES. 


17. George Brodie of Asleisk, grandson of David Brodie, four¬ 
teenth Laird of Brodie, and cousin-german and son-in-law of 
James sixteenth laird, succeeded his father-in-law, in 1708, 
having, as stated before, married, in 1692, Emilia, fifth daughter 
of the last laird. Of this marriage there were born—1st, James, 
who died 1720; 2d, Alexander—both in succession Lairds of 
Brodie ; Joseph, born 1699 ; William, born 1700—both died with¬ 
out issue ; Henrietta, married, 1714, John Sinclair of Ulbster, 
died 1754 ; Anne, born 1701, married George Munro of Novar; 
George Brodie of Brodie died in the year 1715. 

18. James, his eldest son, died in the year 1720, without issue. 

19. Alexander, brother of the last mentioned laird, born 1697 ; 
married, 1724, Mary Sleigh, daughter of Major Sleigh, by whom 
he had two sons—George and Samuel, who predeceased their 
father; Alexander, born 1741 ; Isabella, Mary, and Henrietta, who 
all died unmarried, and Emilia, born 1730, married John Macleod, 
Younger of Macleod. He held the then unfortunate situation of 
Lord Lyon of Scotland, from 1727 till 1754. He was Member of 
Parliament for the County of Elgin, and afterwards for the Inver¬ 
ness Burghs, from 1721 to 1754. He purchased from the family 
of Hay of Lochloy, then in a declining state, the lands of Lochloy 
and Park, and died in 1754. His body was embalmed, and buried 
at Dyke. In his time the family of Brodie reached its greatest 
height of prosperity, being then possessed of the Estates of 
Brodie, Lochloy, and Penick, in the Parishes of Dyke and Aul¬ 
dearn ; the fine Estate of Kinneddar and Aikenhead, in Drainie; 
the lands of Cloves, Monaughty, Asleisk, and others, in Alves. 

20. Alexander, his son, born 1741, succeeded, a delicate youth. 
He died unmarried at the Hot Wells of Bristol, in 1759, where he 
had gone for his health. 

21. James Brodie of Spynie succeeded as heir-male. He was 
descended from Joseph Brodie of Asleisk, second surviving son of 
David the fourteenth Laird of Brodie, as follows :— 


1. Joseph Brodie of Asleisk. 

2. James Brodie of Whitehill, Coltfield, and Spynie, married, 
1698, Margaret, daughter of James sixteenth Laird of Brodie, 
died 1742. 


ESTATE OF SPYNIE. 


245 


3. James of Spynie,* Advocate, Sheriff-Depute of the Counties 
of Elgin and Nairn. Married Emilia Brodie. Died at Elgin, 
1756. Had four sons and five daughters. 

4. James of Spynie, who succeeded to the Brodie Estate, as 
above, was born 1744. 

He was only fifteen years of age when the succession to the whole 
of these fine estates opened to him, by the death of his cousin, 
the twentieth laird. He married, 6th March, 1768, Lady Mar¬ 
garet Duff, seventh daughter of William Earl of Fife, by whom he 
had two sons and three daughters, viz. :—James, born 1768, in the 
Civil Service of the East India Company; married Anne, daughter 
of Colonel Story; he was accidentally drowned at Madras, in 
1802. William Douglas, born 1769 ; died at Madras, unmarried, 
1826. Jane Anne Catherine, born 1770, died, unmarried, 1842 ; 
Margaret, born 1776, married Lieutenant-Colonel Colquhon Grant; 
Charlotte, born 1777, married Lieutenant-Colonel Matthew Mac- 
alister. Lady Margaret Brodie was accidentally burnt to death at 
Brodie House, 24th April, 1786. Mr, Brodie, shortly after his 
succession to the estates, through his brother-in-law, the Earl of 
Fife, sold the lands of Kinneddar and Aikenhead to Alexander 
Brander, Merchant in London, for £1 0,500, He also conveyed to 
the Earl the Estate of Spynie, and his fine property in the Parish 
of Alves. The lands of Brodie and Lochloy were eventually 
entailed. Mr. Brodie was Lord-Lieutenant of the County of 
Nairn, and for some time Member of Parliament for the County 
of Elgin. He died 17th January, 1824. 

22. William Brodie, now of Brodie, son of James Brodie, who 
was drowned at Madras, and grandson of the preceding proprietor, 
was born in 1799, succeeded his grandfather in 1824, and was 
appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Nairnshire the same year. Married, 
in 1838, Elizabeth, third daughter of Colonel Hugh Baillie of 
Redcastle, M.P., by whom he has had four sons, viz. :—George 
Gordon, born 1839; Hugh Fife Ashley, born 1840; Caithness, 
born 1842 ; William Douglas Reynett, born 1845. The eldest and 


* The third son of James Brodie of Spynie was Alexander Brodie of Arnhall and 
the Burn, born 1748, died 1818. He made a large fortune in India; was M.P. for the 
Elgin District'of Burghs, and the father of Elizabeth, late Duchess of Gordon. 


Douglas’ Peer¬ 
age, vol. 1, 
page 578. 

William 

Brodie’s 

Genealogy. 

Burke’s Peer¬ 
age, year 1870, 
pa ge 443, 


246 


NOTES. 


youngest sons of the family are both since dead, and the heir- 
apparent is Hugh Fife Ashley, who married, on 1st January, 1868, 
Eleanor, daughter of the late Earl Ducie, by whom he has issue. 

The amis of Brodie are— 

Argent, a chevron gules, between three mullets azure. Crest— 
a right hand holding a bunch of arrows, all proper. 

Supporters—Two savages, wreathed about the head and middle 
with laurel, each holding a club resting against his shoulder. 

Motto—“ Unite.” 



ESTATE OF MYRESIDE. 


247 


IV.—M YE E SIDE. 


1. We mentioned before that the Earl of Findlater 
had no estate in Morayshire prior to the year 1758, 
when he purchased the Baronies of Bothes and 
Easter Elchies. Within a period of twelve years 
thereafter the family purchased Birnie, Mayne, 
Linkwood, Bishopmill, Burgh Briggs, and Myreside. 
Their object in doing so appears to have been entirely 
political, and with the view of supporting their near 
relatives, the family of Grant, against the rising 
influence of the Fife family, an object which, after a 
severe struggle, they eventually succeeded in attain¬ 
ing. These estates all continue to be possessed by 
their successors to the present day. The Earl of 
Seafield is therefore a large heritor in the Parish of 
Spynie, and, with the exception of the Fife family, 
is now the oldest in possession, having acquired their 
estates about a century ago. It would be useless to 
insert here any account of so well-known a family 
as that of Findlater and Seafield ; but we cannot 
resist noticing that excellent man, James sixth Earl 
of Findlater, and third Earl of Seafield, better known 
perhaps as Lord Deskford. He was born in 1714, 
and, being an only son, had the best education that 
could be procured, and travelled to France, Italy, 


248 


NOTES. 


and other foreign parts. He made the acquaintance 
of the celebrated Horace Walpole, at Rome, in the 
year 1740, who, writing to General Conway, on 23d 
April, that year, refers to Lord Deskford as “ a 
“ mighty sensible man ; few young people have so 
“ good an understanding.’' He seems to have early 
turned his attention to the improvement of agricul¬ 
ture, and established a model farm. He sent many 
of the tenants’ sons to the South of Scotland and to 
England to study farming. He gave long leases to 
tenants, binding them to enclose and improve their 
lands. He introduced turnip husbandry, draining, 
om statistical fencing, and the use of artificial grasses. It was 
i9, page 306. during the latter part of his father’s fife, when Lord 
ofthe a gricur Heskford had the direction of affairs, and during the 
shirefpp a 72 f few years when he was Earl himself, that the Moray- 
and 314. g j_q re j£ s t a tes were purchased. He was appointed 

one of the Commissioners of Customs in Scotland, in 
- 1754, which office he retained until 1761. He was 
one of the trustees for the improvement of fisheries 
and manufactures, and for the management of the 
forfeited estates, and attended to the business of 
these boards with great assiduity. He succeeded 
his father, James fifth Earl of Findlater and second 
Earl of Seafield, in 1764. For several years before 
his death he resided constantly at Cullen House, 
engaged in the improvement of agriculture, trade, 
oid statistical manufacture, and all kinds of industry. In parti- 
Scotland, voi cular, he took a great interest m advancing the linen 

12, pp. 145,146. 7 & 

manufacture, and was the means of having many 
villages erected for bringing the people together to 
engage in the linen and woollen business. The 


ESTATE OF MYRESIDE. 


249 


writer of the Peerage of Scotland makes the follow¬ 
ing just remarks on his Lordship :—“ Ever solicitous 
“ to fill his high station with real dignity, and to 
“ qualify himself to be more extensively useful to 
“ society, the sole object of his ambition, he con- 
“ versed much with and greatly honoured men of 
“ letters, and persons of ingenuity in all professions, 
“ always endeavouring to convert whatever know- 
“ ledge he by these means acquired to the benefit 
“ and improvement of his country. His natural dis- 
“ position was calm, placid, and serene ; his senti- 
“ ments generous and enlarged; his understanding 
“ solid and manly, and his integrity unshaken, being 
“ a fixed and persevering enemy to jobbing, cabal? 
“ and every species of faction in private life. As a 
“ friend and companion, those who had the honour 
“ of his acquaintance well knew, and will long re- 
“ member the pleasing, sensible, and amiable figure 
“ he made in that capacity. To the rest of his fel- 
“ low-subjects, suffice it to say that in him they lost 
“ one of the most honest, intelligent, and public- 
“ spirited of our nobility, whose example gave life 
“ and vigour to national improvements of every sort 
“ within the sphere of its influence.” 

The Earl of Findlater chose his factors and men 
of business with great discrimination. On the Banff¬ 
shire Estates he appointed Mr. John Wilson, who 
discharged the office of factor and commissioner for 
about half a-century, and whose nephew, and grand¬ 
nephews, were also factors on the estate, and per¬ 
formed their duties so much to the benefit of their 
noble constituent, and to the country and tenantry 



250 


NOTES. 


generally. On the Morayshire Estate he appointed 
Mr. Peter May, who was succeeded by his nephew, 
Mr. George Brown, and he again by his son, Mr. 
Peter Brown, all able and skilful men of business. 

His Lordship married, 9th June, 1749, Lady Mary 
Murray, second daughter of John first Duke of 
Athole, and by her, who died at Banff Castle, 29th 
December, 1795, had two sons— 


1st, James seventh Earl of Findlater. 

2d, Honourable John Ogilvie, who died young, in the year 1763. 


His Lordship died at Cullen House, on the 3d 
November, 1770, in the fifty-sixth year of his age— 
a premature death, and an irreparable loss to the 
country. 

2. The following excerpt is from a contribution to 
-the Farmers Magazine by my late revered friend, Mr. 
Isaac Forsyth, dated Elgin, 12th January, 1812, and 
shortly refers to the planting of the moor ground at 
Myreside, now almost entirely converted into arable 
ground :—“ Near Bishopmill, on the property of the 
“ Earl of Findlater, in the year 1772, there was 
“ planted an enclosure of 120 Scots acres. The 
“ moor was very bleak, yielding no pasture, and only 
“ a carpet of dry, short heath. The whole space 
“ did not produce one penny of rent. For several 
“ years back the weedings have returned considerable 
“ sums, and last year it was deemed advisable to 
“ grub out by the roots a few acres, by way of ex- 
“ periment, for the purpose of cultivating the soil. 



ESTATE OF MYRESIDE. 


251 


“ The wood brought £20 per acre, and the ground it 
“ covers lets at 20s. per acre. The sole expense to 
“ the proprietor was for grubbing out the wood, 
“ which cost £3 5s. per acre. As the weedings produce 
“ much more than the original expense of enclosing 
“ and planting, it is obvious the proprietor now 
“ draws a clear rent of 40s. per acre for what, in 
“ its previous state, never produced a penny, while 
“ the country was embellished by the appearance of 
“ the wood, and the farmers much accommodated 
“ with paling, and a variety of other useful purposes, 
“ for which the weedings were a cheap substitute.” 

In the Old Statistical Account of the Parish of 
Cullen, the following remarks occur on the planta¬ 
tions made by the Earl of Findlater, prior to the 
year 1794 :—“ It may not be improper from Cullen, 
“ the principal seat of the Earl of Findlater and 
“ Seafield, to take a general view of the immense 
plantations of trees made by that family. Before 
“ the year 1744, little in that way was done. The 
“ whole country, and even about Cullen House, was 
“ naked, and destitute of cover or ornament from 
“ trees. Since the above period it appears, by at- 
“ tested lists before the writer, that the Earls of 
“ Findlater have planted upwards of 8000 Scots 
“ acres about Cullen, and in their other estates in 
“ the Counties of Banff and Moray; and if we allow 
“ 4000 plants as usual for every Scotch acre, the 
“ number originally planted will exceed the amazing 
“ sum of 32,000,000 trees. All these plantations, 
“ which at first were generally planted with common 
“ firs, have been, with great care and attention, pro- 


Old Statistical 
Account, vol. 
12, pp. 150,151. 



252 


NOTES. 


“ perly filled up with larch, and great variety of 
“ hardwood plants, suited to the different soils, and 
“ all this upon ground which never returned one 
“ farthing of rent to the proprietor.” 


ESTATE OF FINDRASSIE. 


253 


V.—FINDRASSIE. 


Since I wrote the text, I have had an opportunity 
of perusing the account of the Leslies of Findrassie 
in the work of the late Colonel Leslie of Balquhain, 
who, since his recent publication, is dead. Although 
his statements differ in some respects from mine, I 
do not intend to make any alterations on my obser¬ 
vations. I have, in one respect, an advantage over 
Colonel Leslie, that I have had an opportunity of 
examining the titles of the estate for nearly 120 
years back. Had space permitted, I would have 
made some extracts on the subject from Colonel 
Leslie’s lengthened account of the family, but I can¬ 
not venture upon it. His work, and the Kirk- 
Session records of the Parish of Spynie, give a 
melancholy account of several members of the family 
during a considerable part of last century—indeed 
the only bright spot is during the short period when 
Abraham Leslie was the proprietor, viz., from 1785 
to 1793. During that short space the present sub¬ 
stantial mansion-house was built, and much of the 
improvement in planting executed. He was a well- 
educated man, careful of his means, and had seen 
much of the world. After his death the estate was 
badly managed, and the family very extravagant, so 


254 


NOTES. 


that within thirty years of his death the whole pro¬ 
perties in Moray and Ross were spent and sold. 

The following extract from Xisbets Heraldry, 
relating to the Leslies of Findrassie, is perhaps the 
best and most authentic account of the family :— 


Leslie of Findrassie. 


Xisbets For the clearing more folly and effectually the right of priruo- 

^Tppendix! geniture the Leslies of Findrassie have to the family of Rothes, 
page 14L g^ing that matter in a clearer light than it hath hitherto 

appeared, it will be proper to observe that the noble family of 
Rothes were not raised to the honour and quality of Earls by 
letters patent, erecting their lands into an earldom, or oomitatum , 
and therein specifying and appointing what set or species of heirs 
were to succeed to the dignity and estate, but by cincture and 
investiture in Parliament. For by several authentic vouchers, 
which we have seen and perused, it is plain and evident that 
. George Lord Leslie, upon Leven, as he is called in several deeds, 
was, by the special favour of King James IL, created and raised 
to the honour of Earl of Rothes, in the year 1459,* by cincture 
of a sword, and the other rites and solemnities then usual, so an 
honour after that manner established devolves for ever to heirs- 
male of the first patentee, in exclusion of heirs of line, if some 
act and deed of the sovereign, the fountain of honour, do not 
intervene, altering the succession from heirs-male to heirs-female, 
as was the case in the family of Rothes; for, in the year 1667, 
John, then Earl of Rothes, afterwards Duke of Rothes, having no 
heirs-male of his body, that he might disappoint the succession of 
the heirs-male of George, the first Earl of the House of Rothes, 
and exclude them from anv title thev might have had to the 
estate, resigned both the title, honour, dignity, rank, and pre¬ 
cedency of Earl of Rothes, in the hands of His Majesty, King 
Charles II., in favour of his heirs-female, in failure of the heirs- 


* Charta in publicis arch ivis. 




ESTATE OF FINDRASSIE. 


255 


male of his body, whereupon a charter was expede under the 
Great Seal,* in virtue whereof Margaret, Countess of Rothes, suc¬ 
ceeded the Duke, her father, in the title of Earl of Rothes, on his 
death, in the year 1681. 

But to return to George, the first Earl of Rothes. For the 
clearing the succession, and bringing down the line of the family 
of Findrassie, we must observe that this noble Earl, by Christian, 
his wife, daughter of Sir Walter Halyburton, Lord of Dirleton, 
and Andrew, stiled Master of Rothes, wdio, in the lifetime of his 
father, married Janet, daughter of William, the first Earl Marischal, 
by whom he had two sons, viz. :—George, who was his grandfather’s 
successor in the honour; but he, dying without issue (male), was 
succeeded by his brother, William Earl of Rothes, who was slain 
at the battle of Flodden, leaving his son young at his death, 
George, commonly called the Great Earl of Rothes. This Earl 
married, first, the Lady Margaret Crichton, only daughter of 
William Lord Crichton, by the Lady Cicely, his wife, second 
daughter to King James II. of Scotland. She was not a natural 
daughter of the Lord Crichton’s, as some insinuate, but the Lady 
Cicely, the King’s daughter, was his lawful wife, and it is plain 
that he was not forfeited for his indecent correspondence with the 
lady before her marriage, but for joining with the Duke of Albany 
in his unnatural rebellion against his brother, King James III., 
anno 1483.t 

The family of Rothes then being low, Earl George married 
this Lady Margaret Crichton, then the widow of one Mr. Paular, 
of the town of Montrose. She was a great fortune, and her vast 
estate in money contributed not a little to relieve the family from 
the great burden it was under, and put it in that condition of 
lustre it still continues. But this lady being much above the 
Earl in years, he commenced a process of divorce against her; 
but it is certain it could never proceed upon the disparity of their 
age, for that was a reason could never have been sustained by the 
Canonists. It must have proceeded upon a nullity in the marriage 
ab initio , and that upon the score of consanguinity that had not 


* In the Public Records. 

t The process is extant in the Registers of Parliament, and it proceeds upon his 
having stuffed, that is, fortified his Castle of Crichton against the King. 


256 


NOTES. 


been dispensed with by a bull from the Court of Rome, or from 
the delegates of the Apostolic See. However, in these cases, 
where there was a marriage de facto , there never failed a clause in 
these divorces, and a salvo reserving the legitimacy of the children 
procreated betwixt the parties, even though the marriage was 
declared void and null from the beginning, because they were born 
bona fide , and the defect could not be in reason imputed to them. 
The Earl, however, we are certain, proceeded to a second marriage, 
with Dame Nicolas Somerville, dowager Lady Fleming, daughter 
of Sir John Somerville of Cambusnethan, by whom he had 
Andrew, afterwards Earl of Rothes. After the death of this lady, 
he married next the Lady Dowager of Crawford, who was a 
daughter of the House of Lundie, and after that a daughter of 
the Lord Gray, who was widow both to the Lord Glamis and the 
Earl of Huntly; but these ladies living very short, while, from a 
conviction, it seems, of the injustice he had done to his first lady, 
Lady Margaret Crichton, he married her canonically, according to 
the rules of the Church then in being, and made her, all impedi¬ 
ments being removed, his lawful wife, as she is designed, and 
“ Comitissa de Rothes” in a charter under the Great Seal, in the 
year 1542, which is in the public records.* And so much is cer¬ 
tain, that the children procreate betwixt the Earl of Rothes and 
the Lady Margaret Crichton, were so far considered as lawful that 
their eldest son, Norman Leslie, was stiled and designed in all 
public acts and deeds Master of Rothes, and fiar of the Earldom 
of Rothes, t This Norman was a noble, gallant young man, but 
all these excellent qualities and endowments he was possessed of 
were miserably sullied by his imbruing his hands in the blood and 
murder of Cardinal Beaton, Archbishop of St. Andrew’s, in the 
year 1546, for which he was forfeited, and the father, by some Act 
or deed of the Crown, that I have not seen, came to be fully in¬ 
vested in the estate of the earldom himself, and had it in his own 
power to dispose of it to any of his sons of his different marriages 
he had a mind. His younger son, Robert Leslie, by Lady Margaret 
Crichton, was the first of the Leslies of the House of Findrassie, 
who had these lands in patrimony from his father, while Norman, 


* In the Writs of the Privy Seal. 

t This is vouched both from the public archives, and the histories of the time. 


ESTATE OF FINDRASSIE. 


257 


Master of Rothes, his elder brother, was alive, and who was of the 
full blood with himself. It is strange he did not succeed his father 
in the Earldom of Rothes ) but it is plain it was not from any im¬ 
pediment in his birth, but, as Bishop Leslie tells us, from the 
special favour of the Duke of Chatelherault, while he was Regent 
of Scotland, in the minority of Queen Mary, that the fee of the 
estate and the heritable offices of the family came all to be vested 
in the person of Andrew Leslie of Kilmeny, as he is designed, and 
the Earl’s second son, by charters under the Great Seal, on the 
surrender and resignation of the Earl, his father, and to whom, by 
virtue of these investitures, he succeeded, both in the estate and 
honour, at his death, on the 10th of November, 1558. The only 
reason why that Robert Leslie of Findrassie, who was, as we have 
said, the son of George Earl of Rothes, by Lady Margaret 
Crichton, could not quarrel, in point of law, his brother Andrew’s 
succession, was that the investiture of the estate was the rule of 
regulating the succession to the estate, as well as the descent of 
the honour in those days, and these were all ratified and confirmed 
to him by charters passed and expede under the Great Seal many 
years before his father’s death. For in those days it was no sin¬ 
gular case in the family of Rothes to divert the succession from 
the right channel to heirs more remote. For about this very time 
David, then Earl of Crawford, disinherited his own son, and re¬ 
signed the fee of the Earldom of Crawford in favour of Sir David 
Lindsay of Edzell, who accordingly succeeded, at the Earl’s death, 
both to the estate and honour of the House of Crawford. The 
reason of all this high degree of favour shown by the Duke of 
Chatelherault to the Earl of Rothes’s son, Andrew Leslie, by 
dame Nicolas Somerville, was that he had married Grissel Hamil¬ 
ton, his niece, daughter of Sir James Hamilton of Finnast and 
Evandale, his natural brother, to whose memory he had, during 
his whole administration, shown the highest regard. For, imme¬ 
diately upon his accession to the Regency, he reduced his forfeiture 
in the Parliament, 1543, and got his son restored to his estate, 
and his daughter married to the Earl of Rothes’s son, and the suc¬ 
cession both of the estate and the honour settled on them and 
their heirs. 

Robert Leslie of Findrassie, the Earl of Rothes’s son, married 


258 


NOTES. 


Janet, daughter of Robert Lord Elphinstone, by whom he had 
Robert, his successor. 

Robert Leslie of Findrassie, who married Margaret, daughter 
of Alexander Dunbar, Dean of Murray, one of the Senators of the 
College of Justice, in the reign of King James VI., ancestor to 
Dunbar of Grange, and had Robert and John, of whom the present 
Findrassie. This Robert married Isabel Forbes, daughter to 
Abraham Forbes of Blackton, sixth son to William Lord Forbes, 
by Elizabeth, his wife, daughter, and one of the two co-heirs of 
Sir William Keith of Inverugie, by whom he had George, his 
eldest son, who died without succession, and Abraham, the second 

son; which George married Mary, daughter of-Bannerman 

of Waterton, but died without issue. Abraham succeeded his 
brother, and died without issue, and was succeeded by his great- 
nephew, John Leslie, now of Findrassie, second son to Robert 
Leslie, the second Laird of Findrassie, which John married Janet, 

daughter of-Nairn of Cromdale, and had John, his son, 

who married Grissel, daughter of John Douglas of Tilliquhilly, a 
cadet of the family of Morton, even since the house of Lochleven 
succeeded to that honour and dignity, and had John Leslie, now 
of Findrassie, who married Margaret, daughter of Charles Gordon 
of Glengerrack, and had Alexander, his son and heir. 

As to the coat of arms given to George Leslie of Findrassie, 
by Sir Charles Erskine, the Lord Lyon, I cannot say, but it was a 
very proper cognizance he took from the family of Rothes. For, 
to be sure, the bordure cheque was a distinction too remote for an 
immediate son of the house ; but it is plain the cheque bordure 
has been taken to keep up the memory of his descent from the 
Royal Family of Stewart, of which he had the honour to be de¬ 
scended so nearly by his predecessor’s grandmother being the 
second lawful daughter of King James II., just as we find the 
Maxwells of Caklerwood carry the paternal coat of Maxwell with¬ 
in a bordure cheque , azure and argent , by reason that the first of 
the family of Calderwood was Sir Robert Maxwell, second son 
of Sir John Maxwell of Pollock, by Elizabeth, his wife, daughter 
of Sir James Lindsay, Lord of Crawford, and of the Lady Edgidia, 
his wife, daughter of Walter, Great Steward of Scotland, and 
sister to King Robert II.; so that as the first Sir Robert Maxwell 




ESTATE OF FINDRASSIE. 


259 


of Calderwood assumed the cheque as his cognizance, to show his 
descent from the Royal Family, so did the Laird of Findrassie the 
same to show that his predecessor’s grandmother was of the Royal 
Family, who, we know, was the Lady Cicely, the second lawful 
daughter of King James II., and, next to the House of Hamilton, 
the nearest descendants of the Royal House of the Stewarts, that 
are not descended of King James VI., the first Monarch of Great 
Britain.” 


In the work called “ Lauras Leslaeana,” published 
by the Jesuit Fathers of the Scotch Mission, on the 
Continent, in the year 1692, and dedicated to James 
Count Leslie, Baron of Balquhain, there is an account 
of the four first Lairds of Findrassie, and, as the 
book is now very rare, we may give an extract from 
it—“ Primus Dominus de Finrassie Bobertus, tertio 
“ genitus Georgii Comitis quinti de Bothes, ut videre 
“ est numb. 22,vulgo cognominatus Legitimus Bothes 
“ (the Bighteous Bothes), ut pote natu major An- 
“ drea, qui ob causam superius num. 23, allatam in 
“ comitatu successit, conjugio sibi sociavit Joannam 
“ Elphinstone, filiam Dynastae de Elphinstone, quae 
“ ei peperit prolem masculam ternam, et filias bin as, 
“ Bobertum nempe Georgium ; cujus mentio fit num. 
“ 41, et Joannem, qui thori consortem habuit N. 
“ Cockburne ; et exea filium Jacobum, qui accepit in 
“ conjugem Saram Affieck, matrem ex eo Boberti de 
“ Tarrie, mariti N. Andersone, quae ei genuit Jacobum, 
“ cujus uxor Anonyma Bamsay, filia Baronis de Bo- 
“ main, unicam ei filiam reliquit. Filias Boberti 
“ quod attinet natu maxima Joanna maritata fuit 
“ N. Durrhame, Domino de Grange, in Angusia; 
“ secundo genita Agnes in consortem cessit N. Mel- 

Q 2 


260 


NOTES. 


“ drum, Domino de Seggie, in Fifa. Robertus hie 
“ paterna prseter dominia, alias itidem possessiones 
“ de Guglia, nempe Ethrie et Rosmarkie sibi adjecit. 

“ Secundus Dominus de Finrassie, et ipse Robertus 
“ dictus matrimonium contraxit cum Margarita Dun- 
“ bar, filia Alexandri Baronis de Grange, supremse 
“ curiae senatoris; ex qua suscepit tres mares, et 
“ totidem faeminas. Primogenitus erat Robertus, 
“ secundo genitus Joannes de Milltoune, qui duxit 
“ Elizabetham Name, filiam Thomae Domini de Crom- 
“ dell, et ex ea progeniut ternam sobolem masculam, 
“ Joannem, Georgium, et Walterum ; filias itidem 
“ ternas, Margaritam, scilicet nuptui traditam Patritio 
“ Grant de Delay, alteram Roberto Grant de Del- 
“ more, ultimam Alexandro Barclay de Tillynacht. 
“ Tertio genitus Roberti, filius Georgius de Rayfleet, 
“ conjugio sibi sociavit ^Egidiam Dunbar, filiam Alex- 
“ andri de Boyth, ex qua natus est ei Alexander, 
“ filius, et filiae quinque. Filias Roberti, quod con- 
“ cernit natu majorem Margaritam Joanni Gordone, 
“ Equiti Aurato de Embo, minorem Catharinam, 
Jacobo Douglas Domino de Pendreich, minimam 
“ Jacobo Cuthbert Domino de Dray ekes, ille in con- 
j ll g em dedit. 

“ Tertius Dominus de Finrassie Robertus contracto 
“ matrimonio cum Isabella Forbes, fiilia Domini de 
“ Blacktoune, ex ea tres mares, et filias sex procrea- 
vit. Primogenitus Joannes, (qui adhuc cselebs 
eVivis excessit) alter Georgius, ultimo loco natus 
“ Abrahamus nominabatur. Filiarum prima Joanna 
“ maritum nacta est Walterum Innes Dominum 
“ de Innerbrackie ; secunda Isabella Robertum Dun- 


ESTATE OF FINDRASSIE. 


261 


“ bar de Burgie ; tertia N. Robertum Gordon de 
“ Embo equitem auratum ; quarta Catharina Jacobum 
“ Andersone de Westertoune ; quinta Helena Hu- 
“ gonem Munroe primogenitum Georgii Equitis 
“ aurati; postrema Barbara Patritium Dunbar de 
“ Sydray in maritum accepit. 

“Quartus Dominus de Finrassie Georgius tbori 
“ consortem habuit Mariam Bannerman, filiam Baronis 
“ de Elsik; sed nullum ex ilia hseredem reliquit, ad 
“ quern post ejus obitum Dominium de Finrassie 
“ fuerit devolutum ; compertum non habemus.” 


262 


NOTES. 


VI.—QUA BREL WOOD. 


Family of Duff. 

The Estate of Quarrelwood has, within the historical 
period, been possessed by four families, viz. :—the 
Lauders, Chisholms, Sutherlands, and Duffs. The 
three first were all connected together, and may be 
said to have been of the same kindred and blood. 
The Duffs have possessed it since the fall of the 
ancient family of Sutherland of Duffus, in the 
beginning of last century, and have thus been heri¬ 
tors in the Parish of Spynie for nearly 170 years. 

- By the extinction of the families of Sutherland, 
Dunbar of Westfield, and Leslie, they are the oldest 
proprietors in this parish, and the largest. It is 
therefore incumbent to notice at some length this 
very remarkable family, which had the most rapid and 
wonderful rise of any other in the North of Scotland, 
perhaps in the whole kingdom. 

The rise of the family of Duff is owing to various 
reasons. In the first place, for five or six genera¬ 
tions, it was, without exception, composed of the 
most shrewd, calculating, long-headed men, who 
turned everything to the greatest advantage, and 
lost no opportunity of improving their position. 
They turned their attention to merchandising and 



ESTATE OF QUARRELWOOD. 


2G3 


trading at a very eventful period in the history of 
the country, and had the command of ready-money 
when very few in the North had it. The country 
was exhausted by the long civil wars of the 17 th 
century. The nobility and gentry were generally 
poor, were anxious to get loans, and to mortgage 
their lands. The long succession of bad harvests, in 
the end of the 17 th and beginning of the 18 th cen¬ 
tury, also depreciated the value of land, and the 
unfortunate Darien Scheme nearly ruined Scotland. 
In these various depressing circumstances there was 
a fine opportunity for acquiring land, and the Duffs 
did not lose the chance. They dealt largely in 
wadsets and other mortgages, which were never 
redeemed, and they readily foreclosed them, or pur¬ 
chased up the rights of reversion for very small 
sums, and entered into absolute possession. Much 
of their lands were acquired by wadset rights. 
There was nothing unfair in this. It was the order 
and practice of the day. The Duffs made their 
money by merchandise, agriculture, private banking, 
money-lending, and other arts of industry and peace, 
pursued for a long period of time, and with every 
favourable advantage, and thus acquired an enormous 
estate by fair trade. They offer a favourable contrast 

to most of the ancient families in the North, who 

* 

gained their estates generally by war and bloodshed, 
and preying on their weaker neighbours. The rise of 
most of the old families of Scotland is a painful history, 
and the Duffs need not fear to contrast their actings 
and acquisitions with any others, for they will bear a 
close inspection. They were men of good conduct, 


264 


NOTES. 


just in their dealings, honourable (some of them 
religious), and strictly fulfilled all their engagements. 
Such conduct, unswervingly followed for many gene¬ 
rations, and under so favourable circumstances, could 
not fail to attain its object. 

The Duff family claim descent from Macduff, 
Thane of Fife, and from the Earls of Athole, who 
long held Strathbogie. This, however, is supported 
only by traditional tales, and there are no charters 
or writings to prove the assertion. Yet the family 
have stuck to it with wonderful tenacity, and it is 
always alluded to in their pedigree. I do not mean 
to enter into the subject. They have a most respect¬ 
able and well-proved descent for 500 years, without 
the assistance of tradition. 

That the family was settled in Banffshire as early 
as the reign of King David Bruce, or about the 
middle of the 14th century, there can be no manner 
* of doubt. The first I can find any trace of is— 

John Duff, who was proprietor of the lands of Muldavit, near 
Cullen. That he was a person of considerable importance is 
shown from the monument which was erected to his memory in 
the Parish Church of Cullen. It consists of a person dressed 
in complete armour, and is very handsome. He died in the year 
1404. The monument bears the following inscription :— 

“ Hie jacet Johannes Duf de Muldavit—Baldavi—obiit 7 
“ Julii 1404.” 

Around the margin of the stone is written— 

“ Hie Jacet Johannes Duf de Muldavit, Baldavi, qui ope et 
“ opera, virtute ac frugalitate, alto consilio et intrepido corde 
“ paternos limites ampliavit, ob inecor m mentem invi m fid m precl m 
“ obt 1404.” 



ESTATE OF QUARRELWOOD. 


265 


This monument was removed from the aisle of the Church of 
Cullen to the mausoleum at Duff House, in the year 1790.* 

2. David Duff of Muldavit was probably a son of the preced¬ 
ing John Duff. He obtained a Crown charter in the year 1404, 
in favour of himself and Mary Chalmers, his wife, of the lands of 
Muldavit. He had also the lands of Craighead, Baldavie, Auchin- 
gall, and others. 

3. John Duff, his son, succeeded, and lived in the reign of 
King James I. 

4. John Duff of Muldavit and Craighead succeeded, and had 
a Crown charter from King James II., “Johanni Duff, filio et 
“ heredi Johannis Duff,” of various lands, dated 12th February, 
1442. He wadset his lands of Muldavit to James Innes of that 
ilk, under redemption. 

5. John Duff, designed Burgess of Cullen, son of the preced¬ 
ing, confirmed his father’s wadset of the lands of Muldavit to the 
Laird of Innes, who obtained a Crown charter thereon in 1481. 
He left a son, 

6. Andrew Duff of Muldavit, who redeemed the property from 
the Laird of Innes, and got a Crown charter thereon, dated June, 
1504, to “ Andreae Duff, de omnibus et singulis terris de Maldavit, 
“ in vice comitatu de Banff, quae fueruut Joannis Duff, avi dicti 
“ Andreae.” He married Helen Hay, grandchild of John Hay, 
Lord of Forest of Boyne, Enzie, <fcc. After the death of her hus¬ 
band, this lady built an aisle on the south side of the Church of 
Cullen, which was long called the Duffs’ Aisle. Andrew Duff left 
two sons—1st, John, his heir; and 2d, George, w T ho was a Church¬ 
man. He himself died in the year 1519. 

7. John Duff succeeded, and was infeft on Chancery precept 
as heir to his father, Andrew, 16th May, 1520. He had two sons, 

1st, George. 

2d, John. 

8. George Duff, who never married. He resigned his lands to 
his brother John. 


• The mausoleum at Duff House was erected where a chapel to the Virgin Mary 
stood, said to have been built by King Robert Bruce, in the year 1324. An engraving 
of the monument of John Duff of Muldavit is given by Cordiner in his views of 
ruins, &c., in North Britain, published in the end of last century. 


266 


NOTES. 


9. John Duff of Muldavit and Craighead* got a charter under 
the Great Seal, 26th November, 1550—“ Johanni Duff, fratri ger- 
“ mano Georgii Duff de Maldavit, terrarum de Maldavit, cum 
“ molendino,” &c. He died about the year 1580. 

10. John Duff, son of the preceding, succeeded. Got a charter 
under the Great Seal, previous to his father’s death, as heir-appa¬ 
rent, 10th July, 1575, which was renewed 24th February, 1610. 
He married Agnes Gordon, by whom he had a son, John, with 
whose consent, and that of his wife, he sold the Estate of Muldavit 
to James Hay of Rannes, in the year 1626. He died in the year 
1627. 

11. John Duff succeeded his father, and married, first, Isabel 
Allan, by whom he had a son, John ; second, Margaret, daughter 
dfi John Gordon of Cairnburrow, by whom ho had a son, Adam 
Duff of Clunybeg, and a daughter, Margaret, married to John 
Meldrum of Laithers. 

12. John Duff, eldest son of the last John Duff, was a Mer¬ 
chant in Aberdeen, and had a charter—“ Johanni Duff, mercatori 
“ burgen burgi de Aberdeen, dimidiato terrarum de Boghall.” 
He died in the reign of King Charles II. 

13. John Duff, son of the preceding, was an Advocate in 
Aberdeen, and much respected as a man of business, and also 
'privately. He died, without issue, in the year 1718, and in him 
ended the succession of John Duff of Muldavit (No. 11), by his 
first wife, Isabel Allan. 

14. Adam Duff of Clunybeg, son of John Duff (No. 11), by 
his second wife, Margaret Gordon, was born in 1598. He settled 
at Clunybeg, in the Parish of Mortlach, and became a great 
farmer, merchant, and trader, dealing in all country produce. He 
was a man of great sense, shrewdness, and sagacity, and began 
the foundation of the wealth of the family. He was fined by 
the Covenanting party, in the year 1646, in 500 merks, as a 
supporter of the Royalist side, to which he was attached. He 
married Beatrix Gordon, daughter of John Gordon of Birkenburn, 
by whom he had six sons and two daughters, viz. :—Alexander, his 


* Craighead was the place of residence of the family. According to Gordon of 
Straloch’s map it stood on the high bank above the burn, nearly opposite Cullen 
House. 


ESTATE OF QUARRELWOOD. 


267 


heir; John, ancestor of the Duffs of Corsindae, died 1696, aged 
seventy-three; William,* a Merchant in Inverness, ancestor of the 
Duffs of Drummuir and Crombie, died, October, 1715, aged eighty- 
three ; George, married, and had issue. Two other sons died un¬ 
married. Two daughters, Jean and Helen, were married. Adam 
Duff of Clunybeg died in April, 1674, aged seventy-six. 

Alexander and John, the two eldest sons of Clunybeg, in their 
early days supported the Royalist cause, and fought under Mon¬ 
trose in his wars. They were both bold, daring men, particularly 
John, who was taken prisoner by the Covenanters, and would cer¬ 
tainly have perished on the scaffold, if he had not contrived to 
make his escape from an escort of soldiers, who were conveying 
him to Edinburgh for trial. 

15. Alexander Duff, eldest son of Adam Duff of Clunybeg, 
obtained from the Marquis of Huntly a wadset of the lands of 
Keithmore, in Mortlach, which long continued to be the residence 
of the family, having only been redeemed in the following century. 
He was a very prudent, careful man; had abundance of money, 
and an extensive wadsetter and purchaser of land. He acquired 
the extensive Estate and Lordship of Balvenie, either in wadset 
or by purchase, and also the considerable property in Glenrinnes, 
belonging to the Cumings of Lochtervandich, with many other 
estates. He was a great farmer and money-lender. He married 
Helen, daughter of Alexander Grant of Allachie, brother of Archi¬ 
bald Grant of Ballintomb, ancestor of the family of Monymusk. 
By this lady it has been stated he got 100,000 merks of tocher, 
more than ,£5000 sterling, a very large sum for those days. She 
was a most prudent, industrious, and very hospitable person, and 
much of the future prosperity of the family proceeded from her. 
By this lady Keithmore had three sons and four daughters, viz.:— 



—& / 



1. Alexander of Braco. 

2. William Duff, Merchant in Inverness and Elgin, afterwards 
of Dipple and Braco. 

3. Patrick Duff of Craigston, ancestor of Hatton. 


* William Duff’s son, Alexander, was Provost of Inverness, and married Kathe¬ 
rine, daughter and heiress of Adam Duff of Drummuir. The Duffs of Drummuir 
are an old family. I have not seen their pedigree; but the estate was small, and 
was enlarged to its present dimensions by the money made by the Duffs at Inverness. 


268 


NOTES. 


1st daughter, Margaret, married to James Stewart of Lesmurdie. 
2d. Jean, married to George Meldrum of Crombie. 

3d. Mary, married to Andrew Fraser, Physician in Inverness; 
secondly to Thomas Tulloch of Tannachy, County of Elgin. 

4th. Elizabeth, married to a brother of Sir James Calder of 
Muirton. j 

Keithmore died in the year 1700, aged seventy-six. His wife, 
Helen Grant, died 1694, aged sixty. They were interred within 
the Parish Church of Mortlach, where a monument, with the fol¬ 
lowing Latin inscription, is placed to their memory :— 


Douglas’ Baron¬ 
age, page 139. u 

Old Statistical u 
Account of 
Scotland, vol. a 
17, page 432 

tt 

tt 

tt 

tt 

tt 

tt 

-tt 


“ Hoc conduntur tumulo, reliquiae Alexandri Duff de Keithmore 
et Helenae Grant, uxoris suae charissimae. Qui quadringinta 
annos et ultra, felici et faecundo connubio juncti, vixerunt. 
Uterque quidem ingenue natus, ille ex nobilissimis Fifae Thanis 
per vetustam familiam de Craighead, paulo abhinc superstitem 
proxime et legitime oriundus : ilia ex splendida et potenti Gran- 
teorum familia, eodem quoque modo originem trahens ortu non 
obscuri, suis tamen virtutibus illustriores; opibus affluxerunt, et 
liberis ingenue educatis, floruere pie, juste et sobrie vixerunt, et 
sic in Domino mortem obiere. Ilia anno Domini 1694, aetatis 
suae sexagesimo.”* 


The arms of the Duffs at this period were—Vert a fess 
daunzette ermine, between a buck’s head cabossed in chief, and 
two escalops or. 

16. Alexander Duff of Braco succeeded his father, Keithmore, 
but did not long survive him. He was a man of great talents, 
and, along with his father, purchased many estates in the County 
of Banff, particularly in Mortlach, Aberlour, Keith, and Grange 
Parishes. He was reckoned a hard, grasping, and rather unscru¬ 
pulous man, more so than any other member of his family. He 
married Margaret, daughter of Sir William Gordon of Lesmore, 


* This monument being placed within the ancient and venerable Parish Church of 
Mortlach is still quite entire, and in excellent preservation ; but the lower part of it 
is quite concealed by the sittings of the Church. 


ESTATE OF QUARRELWOOD. 


269 


Bart., by whom he had one son, William Duff of Braco, and three 
daughters, viz. :— 

1. Margaret, married to Gordon of Glengerrack. 

2. Helen, married William Gordon of Farskine. 

3. Mary, married to Alexander Abercrombie of Tullibodie, 
Advocate. 

He was Member for the County of Banff to the Scots Parliament, 
and supported strongly the party opposed to the union with Eng¬ 
land, of which the Duke of Hamilton was the leader. He died 
in the year 1705, two years before the union, not much above fifty 
years of age, and was buried in the aisle of the Parish Church of 
Grange, where a monument was erected to his memory. 

17. William Duff of Braco, only son of the preceding, was an 
amiable and accomplished gentleman, of very different tastes from 
his father ; liberal and generous in his nature, and very kind to 
his numerous teriantry. He had travelled much abroad, and seen 
a great deal of the world. He married Helen Taylor, a female in 
humble life, but a very excellent person, by whom he had one 
daughter, Margaret, married to Patrick Duff of Premnay. His 
marriage, perhaps, and other incidents contingent upon it, brought 
on a continued melancholy, and he died at Balvenie Castle, in 
January, 1718, a young man, much regretted by his tenantry and 
friends. The succession fell to the heir-male, in virtue of the 
settlements of the estates, and the uncle of this proprietor, and 
the nearest heir-male, was 

18. William Duff of Dipple. This gentleman was second son 
of Keithmore, and had a very limited patrimony from his father— 
a sum of 10,000 merks Scots, or something more than £500 stg., 
and with this small allowance, and a promise of succession to his 
father’s wadset of Keithmore, he began the world. He was born 
about the year 1654, and, when arrived at a suitable age, was 
bound apprentice to his uncle, William Duff, Merchant in Inver¬ 
ness, then largely engaged in trade, with whom he eventually be¬ 
came a partner. He was a prudent, sagacious, careful man ; very 
honourable in his dealings, and greatly esteemed over all the 
North of Scotland for integrity and justice in all his transactions. 
He acquired a very considerable fortune, and, like the rest of his 


270 


NOTES. 


family, lent largely on wadsets. His only purchases of land were 
in Morayshire, to which he was much attached. He acquired 
there the Estates of Dipple, Pluscarden, Oldmills, Coxton, Quarrel- 
wood, Aldroughty, Mosstowie and Sheriffmill, Inverlochty, and 
others. He married, first, Helen Gordon, daughter of Sir George 
Gordon of Edinglassie, by whom he had one son, William, after¬ 
wards Lord Braco and Earl of Fife, and four daughters, viz. :— 

1st. Helen, married to the Honourable William Sutherland of 
Rosscommon, third son of James Lord Duffus, by whom she had 
no issue. This lady long survied her husband, lived in the Castle 
of Quarrelwood, and was known by the name of Lady Ross- 
common. 

2d. Catherine, married to Alexander Duff of Hatton. 

3d. Elizabeth, married to Thomas Donaldson of Kinnairdie. 

4th. Isabella, married to Alexander Mackintosh of Blervie, to 
whom she had twenty-two children. Numerous descendants of 
this marriage still exist over the North of Scotland. 

William Duff of Dipple married, second, Jane, daughter of Sir 
William Dunbar of Durn, Baronet, by whom he had one son, 
Alexander, who died in 1721, aged five years, and four daughters, 
viz. :— 


1st. Anne, married to William Baird of Auchmedden. 

2d. Janet, married to Sir James Kinloch of Kinloeh, Baronet. 

3d. Mary, married to General James Abercrombie of Glassaugh. 

4th. Henrietta, a very excellent, charitable person, who died 
unmarried. 

During the last nineteen years of his life Mr. Duff lived in Elgin, 
where he carried on his business, principally as a private banker, 
lending on mortgage and wadsets. He is said to have had his 
place of business in that old house on the north side of the High 
Street of Elgin, near the Little Cross, still in good repair, and 
there is no doubt he lived himself in the house, also on the north 
side of the High Street, which he purchased, along with the 
Estate of Coxton, from Sir George Innes, and which still exists, 
although in a very dilapidated state, bearing on the eastmost win- 


ESTATE OF QUARRELWOOD. 


271 


dow a star, for Innes, and the date, 1677. It was sold by Lord 
Braco, in 1747, to Robert Anderson, Sheriff-Substitute of Moray¬ 
shire, who had married his Lordship’s niece, Elizabeth Mackintosh. 
Mr. Duff died in the year 1722, but the place of his burial I have 
failed to discover. He had previously, in 1718, by the death of 
his nephew, William Duff of Braco, succeeded to the whole estates 
of the principal branch of the Duff family, which he is said to 
have left all clear to his son, besides <£30,000 sterling in ready- 
money, a very large sum for that period. He was about sixty- 
eight years of age at the time of his death. 

19. William Duff, only son of the preceding, succeeded his 
father in his large estates. He was Member of Parliament for 
the County of Banff in 1727; created a Peer of Ireland, by the 
title of Lord Braco of Kilbride, on 28th July, 1735, and Earl of 
Fife and Viscount Macduff, 26th April, 1759—the patent being 
limited in both cases to him and the heirs-male of his body. He 
was a careful manager of his affairs, and purchased considerable 
estates in the Counties of Aberdeen, Banff, and Moray. In the 
last county he acquired Milton, Blervie, and other estates, so that 
with what his father left him he had a very fine estate in Moray¬ 
shire. He married, first, Lady Janet Ogilvie, second daughter of 
James fourth Earl of Findlater, and first Earl of Seafield, Chan¬ 
cellor of Scotland, and widow of Hugh Forbes, Younger of 
Craigievar, by whom he had no issue. He married, second, Jane 
Grant, daughter of Sir James Grant of Grant, Baronet, by whom, 
who died, 16th January, 1788, in the eighty-third year of her 
age, he had seven sons and seven daughters, viz. :— 

1. William, who died unmarried in London, 26th March, 1753, 
in his twenty-seventh year. 

2. James second Earl of Fife. 

3. Alexander third Earl of Fife. 

4. Patrick, who died young. 

5. George, long Convener of the County of Elgin—a most 
worthy, estimable gentleman. He died at Elgin, at his residence, 
South College, 23d November, 1818. 

6. Ludovick, who died at Blervie, without issue, 19th Novem¬ 
ber, 1796. 


272 


NOTES. 


7. Arthur, Advocate, Member of Parliament for the County 
of Elgin, 1774; died unmarried at Orton, 26th April, 1805. He 
was long Comptroller of Excise for Scotland. 

The Earl of Fife left his third son, Alexander, the Estate of Echt, 
in Aberdeenshire ; to George, his fifth son, the Estates of Milton, 
Inverlochty, and Barmuckity, in Morayshire ; to Ludovick, his 
sixth son, the Estate of Blervie; and to Arthur, his seventh son, 
the Estate of Orton. 

1st daughter, Lady Anne, married to Alexander Duff of Hat¬ 
ton, and died in Edinburgh, 5th June, 1805. She had an only 
child, Jane; married, 4th January, 1763, to Sir James Grant of 
Grant, Baronet. 

2. Janet, married, first in 1745, to Sir William Gordon of Park, 
who engaged in the Rebellion that year, was attainted, and died 
at Douay, 3d June, 1751. By him she had two sons, born abroad. 
She married, second, George Hay of Mountblairy, and died at 
Camousie, 3d March, 1758, aged thirty. 

3. Lady Jane, married, 25th October, 1753, to Keith Urquhart 
of Meldrum, by whom she had issue—James Urquhart of Mel- 

- drum, long Sheriff-Depute of Banffshire; a son, Lewis; and two 
daughters, Anne and Mary. 

4. Lady Helen, married, in 1764, to Robert Duff of Logie and 
Fetteresso, Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy, by whom she had 
three sons and one daughter, viz. :—Robert William Duff of Fet¬ 
teresso and Culter; Adam Duff, Sheriff of Forfarshire; James 
Alexander Duff, an Officer in the Army; and Jane, married to 
James Clerk of Chesterhall. 

5. Lady Sophia Henrietta, married to Thomas Wharton, Com¬ 
missioner of Excise, by whom she had the late Richard Wharton 
Duff of Orton, and two daughters, Jane and Mary. 

6. Lady Catherine, died, unmarried, 25th April, 1765. 

7. Lady Margaret, married, at Edinburgh, 6th March, 1768, 
to James Brodie of Brodie, and died, at Brodie House, 24th April, 
1786 ; leaving two sons, James and William, and three daughters, 
Jane Anne Catherine, Margaret, and Charlotte. 

William Earl of Fife, while a great economist, had a taste for 


ESTATE OF QUARRELWOOD. 


273 


magnificence and fine buildings. Shortly after his succession, in 
the year 1724, he built the new Castle or House of Balvenie. The 
family having taken a dislike to the fine old castle, allowed it to 
go to decay, and between the years 1740 and 1745, he erected 
the grand building of Duff House, at a cost of <£70,000, an im¬ 
mense sum for those days. His Lordship died at Rothiemay, on 
the 8th September, 1763. A monument is erected to his memory, 
and that of Jane Countess of Fife, his wife, in the mausoleum at 
Duff House. 

20. James second Earl of Fife succeeded his father. He was 
born 29th September, 1729. He was elected Member of Parlia¬ 
ment for the County of Banff in 1754, 1761, 1768, 1774, and 
1780; and for the County of Elgin in 1784. He was a man of 
great talents, and nearly doubled the property of the family by 
judicious purchases of estates. He planted about 14,000 acres of 
barren ground, and was a great agriculturist, and a most extensive 
improver of land. His Lordship has had the name of being rather 
a hard man; but this perhaps arises from the fact that he was 
very exact and precise in all his accounts and transactions. For, 
to do him all justice, it must be recorded that in the year 1783, 
which was a season of famine, he gave his tenants in the Highlands 
a reduction of twenty per cent, from their rents, and sold his own 
grain, and imported cargos from England, which he disposed of to 
the poor, at a personal loss of £3000. He was kind and hospit¬ 
able to his tenants, and entertained the more respectable of them 
very frequently at his own table, when he visited his different 
estates. He was a man of immense political power in the North, 
and is said, in the year 1784, to have returned the Members for 
the Counties of Aberdeen, Banff, and Moray. His purchases of 
land in Morayshire were great. In 1767 he purchased from the 
family of Innes of that ilk the extensive and beautiful Estate of 
Innes, and from cadets of the same family he shortly after acquired 
the Estates of Inchbroom, Dunkinty, and Leuchars. In 1777 he 
acquired, by excambion, from the Duke of Gordon, the Lordship 
of Urquhart, and the lands of Ardgay, Leggat, and part of Kin- 
trae, in the Parishes of Alves and Spynie. Shortly thereafter he 
bought from the family of Brodie the Estates of Spynie, Mon- 
aughty, and Aslisk. He also purchased the Estate of Rosehaugh, 


274 


NOTES. 


in Spynie Parish. In his own and his father’s time the large 
estates in the Parish of Glass, and Glenbucket, Delgaty, and 
Braemar, were acquired, and by the death of his brother, Lewis, 
he succeeded to the Estate of Blervie. His Lordship was Lord- 
Lieutenant of the County of Banff, and was created a British Peer 
by the title of Baron Fife, with limitation to the heirs-male of his 
own body. He married, 5th June, 1769, Lady Dorothea Sinclair, 
only child of Alexander ninth Earl of Caithness, by whom he had 
no issue. He died at his house in Whitehall, London, on 28th 
January, 1809, in the eightieth year of his age, and was interred 
in the mausoleum at Duff House. His British Peerage became 
extinct. His estates, held in fee simple, he left in trust for cer¬ 
tain purposes, and the entailed estates and Irish titles descended 
to his immediate younger brother, Alexander Duff of Echt. 

21. Alexander third Earl of Fife, born 1731, succeeded in 
1809, was a member of the Faculty of Advocates, being admitted 
in 1754. He married, at Careston, 17th August, 1775, Mary, 
eldest daughter of George Skene of Skene and Careston, by whom 
he had— 

James fourth Earl of Fife. 

Alexander, a General in the Army, father of the fifth Earl. 

Lady Jane, married, on 2d December, 1802, Major Alexander 
Francis Tayler, of the 26th Regiment of Foot, by whom there was 
issue. 

Lady Anne, married, at Duff House, 16th October, 1809, 
Richard Wharton Duff, Esq. of Orton, by whom there was also issue. 

His Lordship died 7th April, 1811, and was succeeded by his 
eldest son, 

22. James fourth Earl, born 6th October, 1776. His Lordship 
married, at London, 9th September, 1799, Maria Caroline Manners, 
second daughter of John Manners of Grantham Grange, and sister 
of Louisa Duchess of St. Alban’s, who died 20th December, 1805, 
without issue. He entered the Spanish Army, and was wounded 
at the battle of Talavera, in 1809, and again severely at the 
storming of Fort Matagorda, near Cadiz, in 1810. He was a very 
kind, benevolent nobleman; exceedingly popular with all classes, 
and a general favourite; a great friend and companion of King 


ESTATE OF QUARRELWOOD. 


275 


George IV., who created him a Peer of the United Kingdom, by 
the title of Baron Fife, 27th April, 1827. He was a Knight of 
the Order of St. Ferdinand of Spain, and of the Sword. Like 
the rest of his family, his Lordship w T as a great politician, and it 
will be remembered with what consummate tact he managed to 
carry the representation of the Elgin Burghs from his opponents, 
in the year 1821. He succeeded his uncle, Mr. Skene of Skene 
and Careston, to these fine estates in 1827, a great addition to the 
fortune of the family. After mixing much in the world, and see¬ 
ing society in all its ranks and grades, he, in his latter years, lived 
at Duff House, in a very retired way; died there the 9th March, 
1857, and was buried at the mausoleum. 

23. James fifth Earl of Fife, nephew to the preceding Earl, 
and eldest son of General Sir Alexander Duff of Delgaty, suc¬ 
ceeded. His Lordship was born 6th July, 1814; is Lord-Lieu¬ 
tenant of the County of Banff, and long represented the same 
county in Parliament. He was created a Peer of the United 
Kingdom, by the title of Baron Skene, in 1857. He married, 
16th March, 1846, Lady Agnes Georgiana Elizabeth Hay, daughter 
of William George seventeenth Earl of Erroll, and has issue— 

Alexander William George Viscount Macduff, born, 10th 
November, 1849. 

1st daughter, Anne Elizabeth Clementina, married, 17th Octo¬ 
ber, 1865, to John Villiers Stuart, fifth and present Marquis 
Townshend. 

2d. Ida Louisa Alice, married, 3d June, 1867, to Adrian Elias 
Hope, Esquire, and has issue. 

3d. Alexina, married, 1870, Henry Aubrey Coventry, Lieu¬ 
tenant, 10th Hussars. 

4th. Agnes Cecil Emmeline. 

The Countess of Fife died on the 18th December, 1869, and 
was buried in the mausoleum of Duff House. 

His Lordship’s brother, the Honourable George Skene Duff of 
Milton, for some time represented in Parliament the Elgin District 
of Burghs, and is now Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Elgin. 

I may remark that since the death of James 

R 2 


276 


NOTES. 


second Earl of Fife, in 1809, there has been no in¬ 
crease to the family estates of much importance, with 
the exception of the great succession to the Skene 
and Careston Estates, in 1827. The Estate of 
Auchintoul, in Banffshire, and Westerton, in Moray¬ 
shire, have been bought, and Blervie and Ardgay, in 
the same county, have been sold, thus leaving matters 
much as they were before. 

Burke, in his Peerage for 1870, page 443, gives 
the armorial bearings of the family as follows;— 

Quarterly: first and fourth, or, a lion rampant, gules, for Mac¬ 
duff ; second and third, vert, a fesse dancette, ermine, between a 
hart’s head cabossed in chief, and two escallops, in base, or, for 
Duff. 

Crests—First, a horse in full gallop, argent, covered with a 
mantling, gules, bestrewed with escutcheons, or, each charged with 
a lion rampant of the second; on his back a Knight in complete 
armour, with his sword drawn ppr., on his sinister arm a shield, 
charged as the escutcheons; on the helmet a wreath of the colours, 
thereon a demi-lion, rampant, gules; second, a demi-lion, rampant, 
gules, holding in the dexter paw a broadsword proper, hilted and 
pomelled, or. 

Supporters—Two savages, wreathed about the head and waist 
with laurel, and holding in their exterior hands branches of trees 
over their shoulders, all proper. 

Mottoes— “Deo Juvante.” Over the second crest—“ Deus 
Juvat.” Under the shield—“ Virtute et Opera.”* 

Since writing the foregoing lengthened account of 
the family of Duff, Major Duff of Drummuir has 


* The above accounc of the Duff family is not arranged in correct genealogical 
order. Although twenty-three names are recorded, there are only eighteen genera¬ 
tions ; brothers in some cases succeeding brothers, and nephews uncles. But it 
shows, without going into dark and traditional history, that the Duffs are an ancient 
and most respectable family, which I desired to prove. 



ESTATE OF QUARREL WOOD. 


2 77 


very kindly (at my own request) sent me a copy of 
the genealogical memoirs of the Duffs, composed by 
Mr. Baird of Auchmedden, about a century ago, and 
printed at Aberdeen in the end of the year 1869, 
for private circulation. I had previously made a 
hasty perusal of the volume, and extracted a few 
notes from it. On a more careful examination of its 
contents, I do not find very much to alter or amend 
in my narrative, which is confined to the leading 
branch of the family, while Mr. Baird brings in also 
the most of the cadets flourishing in his day. I 
cannot help stating, however, that these memoirs of 
Mr. Baird are among the best family histories I have 
ever seen. They seem very honest and faithful, and, 
while there is an evident leaning to his relatives, he 
does not conceal their faults and foibles. It is a work 
which should be made available to the general public. 


278 


NOTES. 


VII.—WESTFIELD. 

Family of Dunbar. 

The family of Dunbar of Westfield was long the 
leading one in this parish. I am sorry there are but 
very slight materials for an account of them. They 
have been long extinct, and their extensive estates 
are now in other hands. They cannot, however, be 
passed over, and I shall endeavour to give a short 
and concise narrative, and, as there will doubtless be 
many errors, these must be excused. 

The settlement of the Dunbars in the North of 
Scotland did not occur until the 14th century, and 
was purely accidental. 

1. Patrick tenth Earl of March, married Agnes Randolph, 
daughter of the great Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray, a lady 
worthy of her noble father. On the death of her two brothers, 
she succeeded to the Earldom of Moray. She had by the Earl of 
March two sons and three daughters, and among these, 

2. George eleventh Earl of March, who had two sons, viz. :— 
first, George, his successor, and second, John, progenitor of this 
family. 

3. John Dunbar, married Lady Marjory Stewart, eldest daughter 
of King Robert II., by whom he was created Earl of Moray, and 
by her had two sons—first, Thomas Earl of Moray, whose only 
son, Thomas Earl of Mora}^, died without issue; and second, 
Alexander Dunbar of Frendraught. 

4. Alexander Dunbar of Frendraught. 

5. James Dunbar of Frendraught, who, on the death of his 
cousin, Thomas Dunbar, wuthout male issue, succeeded to the 


ESTATE OF WESTFIELD. 


279 


Earldom. He married, first, Isabella Innes, daughter of Sir 
Walter Innes of that ilk, by whom he had a son, Alexander Dun¬ 
bar ; but his wife having been considered by the canon law to be 
within the forbidden degree of propinquity, being a second cousin, 
and no dispensation got from the Pope before her death, the son 
was held to be illegitimate. He married, second, Lady Jane or 
Janet Gordon, daughter of Alexander Earl of Huntly, by whom 
he had two daughters— 

1. Lady Janet, married to James Lord Crichton, who, through 
her, acquired the Estate of Frendraught. 

2. Lady Elizabeth, married to Archibald, third son of James 
seventh Earl of Douglas, who, by the immense influence of his 
family, contrived to get Alexander Dunbar, the only son of the 
first marriage, set aside, on the score of illegitimacy, and Janet, 
the eldest daughter, was also deprived of the succession. Such 
conduct had its just reward. Archibald Douglas joined in rebel¬ 
lion with his brother, the Earl of Douglas, against his Sovereign, 
and was forfeited, and the Earldom annexed to the Crown, in the 
year 1455. 

6. Alexander Dunbar, only son of James fifth Earl of Moray, 
of the name, although unjustly deprived of the Earldom, got a 
handsome estate, was knighted, and created heritable Sheriff of 
Moray. He got a charter from Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray, 
and Elizabeth Dunbar, Countess thereof, of the lands and Barony 
of Westfield, in the year 1450, and he is there designed brother 
of the Countess. Besides Westfield, he got the lands of Conzie, 
Durris, Tarras, Moyness, Clunes, Clava, Golford, Belnageith, Focha¬ 
bers, Carnousie, and others, and had nine charters from King 
James II. He married Isabella, daughter of Alexander Suther¬ 
land of Duffus, of which marriage the principal families of Dun¬ 
bar in Scotland are descended. By her he had six sons and one 
daughter, viz. :— 

1. Sir James, his heir. 

2. Sir John, who married Margaret, second daughter of Patrick 
Dunbar of Cumnock and Mochrum, whose male line is said to be 
extinct. 


280 


NOTES. 


3. Alexander Dunbar of Conzie and Hillinack, of whom Dun¬ 
bar of Mochrum is descended. 

4. Gavin Dunbar, who was Dean of Moray and Bishop of 
Aberdeen. 

5. David Dunbar of Durris, of whom the Dunbars of Grange- 
hill were descended. 

6. Patrick Dunbar, Chancellor of Aberdeen, ancestor of the 
Dunbars of Bennagefield, in the County of Ross. 

His daughter, Isabella, married to Sir William Keith of In- 
verugie. 

He was succeeded by 

7. Sir James Dunbar, second of Westfield, and Sheriff of 
Moray. He married Euphemie, eldest daughter and co-heiress of 
Patrick Dunbar of Cumnock. By her he got the Barony of Cum¬ 
nock, in the County of Ayr. He got a grant from King James 
IV. of the mansion-house of the Castlehill of Forres, by charter 
under the Great Seal, in 1498, with all the fees and emoluments 
of the Sheriff of Elgin and Forres. By his wife, Euphemie Dun¬ 
bar, he had one son and three daughters, viz. :— 

Sir James, his heir. 

1st daughter, Janet, married Keith of Inverugie. 

2d. Christian, married Alexander Innes of that ilk. 

3d. Elizabeth, married Ogilvie of Strathern. 

This Sir James Dunbar had large estates in the shires of Moray, 
Nairn, Aberdeen, Sutherland, and Ayr, and was very opulent. 
He died in the year 1505. 

8. Sir James Dunbar of Westfield and Cumnock, Sheriff of 
Moray, succeeded his father, and on resignation of his mother, 
had a Crown charter of the Barony of Cumnock, in the County of 
Ayr, in the year 1507. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir 
James Ogilvie of Deskford, by whom he had two sons— 

1. Sir Alexander, his heir. 

2. James, who died without issue. 

Sir James died 1535, and was succeeded by his eldest son, 


ESTATE OF WESTFIELD. 


281 


9. Sir Alexander Dunbar of Cumnock and Westfield; was a 
bold and able man. By his first marriage he had— 

1. Sir Patrick, his heir. 

2. Norman, who died without issue. 

By his second marriage, with Janet Leslie, daughter of John Leslie 
of Parkhill, he had a son, John Dunbar of Moyness, and a daughter, 
Margaret, married to Robert Munro of Fowlis. He had Crown 
charters in 1561 and 1564, and died 1576. 

10. Sir Patrick Dunbar. He married Jean, daughter of 
Alexander Master of Sutherland, sister of John fourteenth Earl of 
Sutherland, and by her had issue two sons, viz. :— 

1. Sir James, his heir. 

2. Patrick Dunbar of Boghall. 

He only lived one year after his father, having died in 1577, and 
was succeeded by his eldest son, 

11. Sir James Dunbar of Cumnock and Westfield, hereditary 
Sheriff of Moray. He married Janet Carmichael, by whom he 
had one son, Sir Alexander, his heir, and three daughters, 

1. Dorothea, married to her cousin, Alexander Dunbar of Bog- 
hall, afterwards of Westfield. 

2. Janet, married to William Dunbar, brother of James Dun¬ 
bar of Tarbat. 

3. Marjory, married to Robert Dunbar, son to John Dunbar of 
Moyness. 

Sir James disponed his whole estates (excepting the Sheriffship) 
to his three daughters, failing issue of his son’s body. He died in 
1588, and was succeeded by his son, 

12. Sir Alexander Dunbar of Cumnock and Westfield, who 
died, without issue, in 1603, when the representation devolved on 
his cousin, Alexander, son of Patrick Dunbar of Boghall, above 
referred to. 

11. Patrick Dunbar of Boghall, second son of Sir Patrick 
Dunbar of Cumnock and Westfield (No. 10), got from his father 


282 


NOTES. 


the lands of Boghall, and was tutor-at-law to his nephew during 
his minority. He married a daughter of Dunbar of Grange, by 
whom he had four sons, viz. :— 

1. Alexander, his heir. 

2. John, who succeeded his brother. 

3. James, who died unmarried. 

4. Thomas of West Grange. 

Patrick Dunbar of Boghall had the misfortune to be killed, along 
with the Earl of Moray, by the Earl of Huntly, at Donibristle, in 
the year 1592. 

12. Alexander, eldest son of the preceding, succeeded his 
father in the lands of Boghall, 1592, and on the death of his 
cousin, Sir Alexander Dunbar of Cumnock and Westfield, became 
hereditary Sheriff of Moray. He served himself heir to his grand¬ 
father and great-grandfather, and married his cousin, Dorothea, 
eldest daughter of Sir James Dunbar, his uncle. He got posses¬ 
sion of her third share of the estates. He afterwards acquired 
more of the lands from his sisters-in-law, and obtained charters in 
1606 and 1611, and would probably, had he lived, recovered the 
whole estate; but was unhappily killed, by Alexander Dunbar of 
Ivilbuiak, at Forres, in June, 1611. Having no issue, he was suc¬ 
ceeded by his brother, 

12. John Dunbar, designed of Cumnock and Westfield, here¬ 
ditary Sheriff of Moray. He married Elizabeth Fraser, daughter 
of Hugh sixth Lord Lovat, by whom he had one son, Alexander, 
his heir. He sold the Barony of Cumnock, and died in 1622. 

13. Alexander Dunbar of Westfield, hereditary Sheriff of 
Moray, had a charter of his office under the Great Seal, 1634. 
He married Catherine, daughter of Thomas Dunbar of Grange, 
and widow of David Brodie of Brodie; but died without issue, 
1646, and was succeeded by his uncle, Thomas Dunbar of West 
Grange, who was fourth son of Patrick Dunbar of Boghall, second 
son of Sir Patrick Dunbar of Westfield (No. 10). 

12. Thomas Dunbar of Westfield, married Margaret Spence, 
daughter of Spence of Kirktoun, in Alves, by whom he had two 
sons, viz.:— 


ESTATE OF WESTFIELD. 


283 


1. Robert, his heir. 

2. Patrick of Belnaferry. 

He died 1653, and was succeeded by his eldest son, 

13. Robert Dunbar of Westfield, Sheriff of Moray. He married 
Barbara, daughter of Sir Robert Innes of Innes, by whom he had 
two sons, viz. :— 

1. Robert, his heir. 

2. Alexander Dunbar of Moy. 

He died in 1661, and was succeeded by his eldest son, 

14. Robert Dunbar of Westfield. He married Elizabeth, 
daughter of Sir Ludovick Gordon of Gordonstown, by whom he 
had one son. 

15. Alexander Dunbar of Westfield, Sheriff of Moray, suc¬ 
ceeded his father. He married Margaret, daughter of Sir James 
Calder of Muirton, by whom he had two sons and one daughter— 

1. James, his heir. 

2. Robert, who succeeded his brother. 

A daughter, Elizabeth, married to Sir William Dunbar of 
Hempriggs. 

He died in 1702. 

16. James Dunbar of Westfield, a very promising young man, 
highly educated; died unmarried, and was succeeded by his 
brother, 

16. Robert Dunbar of Westfield, who also died unmarried. 

14. Alexander Dunbar, second son of Robert Dunbar of West- 
field, by Barbara Innes, acquired the lands of Moy. He married 
Lucy, daughter of Sir Ludovick Gordon of Gordonstown, widow 
of Robert Gumming of Altyre, by whom he had one son, Ludovick 
Dunbar. 

15. Ludovick Dunbar of Moy, on the death of his cousin, 
Robert Dunbar of Westfield, succeeded to the estate. He married 
Margaret, daughter of Ross of Braelangwell, by whom he had no 
children. He sold the heritable Sheriffship of Moray to Charles 
Earl of Moray, and conveyed his estate to Elizabeth, daughter of 


284 


NOTES. 


Alexander Dunbar of Westfield, by Margaret Calder. He died, 
without issue, in the year 1744,* and in him, it is supposed, ended 
the male line of Sir James Dunbar of Westfield, eldest son of the 
first Sir Alexander Dunbar, Sheriff of Moray, who was only son of 
James Dunbar, fifth and last Earl of Moray of that name. 

16. Elizabeth, only surviving child of Alexander Dunbar of 
Westfield, Sheriff of Moray, by Margaret Calder, married Sir 
William Dunbar of Hempriggs, to whom she had only one child 
who came to maturity. 

17. Janet Dunbar succeeded her mother, and married Captain 
Thomas Dunbar of Grangehill, by whom she had two sons and 
one daughter, viz. :— 

1. Alexander. 

2. William Henry. 

A daughter, Elizabeth. 

The Estate of Westfield was sold in 1769 by Mrs. 
Dunbar and her husband to Sir Janies Grant of 
Grant, Baronet, as is stated in the text. The Estate 
of Grangehill, in the Parish of Dyke, had been pre¬ 
viously sold, in 1749, to Sir Alexander Grant of 
Dalvey, who changed the name to Dalvey, which it 
still continues to hold. After this time I lose all 
trace of the Westfield family. Eventually they 
seemed to have settled in Caithness, and the last 
heir-of-line is supposed to have been the late Mr. 
Dunbar, who was tenant of the Crown lands of 
Scrabster, near Thurso. He died about twenty-five 
years ago, without issue, and was said to have been 
a very respectable, excellent gentleman. The nearest 


Social Life, first * It would seem, from correspondence published by Captain Dunbar Dunbar, that 

series, pages Ludovick Dunbar of Westfield died from the effects of an accident, and that in 1724 
82, 83, . there was an heir-male to Westfield alive, viz.Thomas Dunbar, D.D., Vicar of 

Little Bustead, Essex. 


ESTATE OF WESTFIELD. 


285 


known heir-male of the Westfield family is supposed 
to he Sir William Dunbar of Mochrum, in the County 
of Wigton, Baronet, who is descended from Alex¬ 
ander Dunbar of Conzie and Kilbuiak, third son of 
Sir Alexander Dunbar, first of Westfield, Sheriff of 
Moray. 

The arms of Dunbar of Westfield are— 

Or, three cushions pendant within a double tressure, flowered 
and counter-flowered, gules. Supporters—on the dexter a grey¬ 
hound, argent, collared, gules; on the sinister, a boar proper. 

Motto—“ Sub Spe.” 

The above armorial bearings are taken from Sir 
Robert Douglas. Nisbet, in his Heraldry, edition 
1722, gives a plate of the arms of Westfield, and 
states them differently from Douglas, as follows :— 

First and fourth, gules, a lion rampant, argent, within a border 
of the last, charged with eight roses of the first for Dunbar; 
second and third, or, three cushions within a double tressure, 
flowered and counter-flowered, gules, for Randolph. Crest—a right 
hand pamme, proper, reaching to two Earls’ coronets tied together, 
with the motto “ Sub Spe.” Supporters—two lions, argent, stand¬ 
ing on a compartment whereon are these words—“ Precipitatus 
attamen tutus.” 




286 


NOTES. 


VIII.—BISHOPMILL. 


The Dunbars of Bishopmill are said to be descended 
from Grange, and I insert here appropriately the 
contract of marriage between Alexander Dunbar of 
West Grange, and Catherine Reid, niece of the cele¬ 
brated and excellent Robert Reid, Abbot of Kinloss, 
and Bishop of Orkney. The Bishop was a luminary 
in a dark age; a person whose name deserves to be 
always mentioned with gratitude and respect by his 
countrymen, a lover of learning, a man of piety, 
an able lawyer, skilled in diplomacy, and entirely 
devoted to the interests of his country. He died 
in the year 1559, on the eve of the Reformation, to 
which he was much opposed, and two years before 
his niece’s marriage. 

Extract Registered Contract of Marriage , betwixt 
Mr. Alexander Dunbar of West Grange , and 
Catharine Reid , his spouse. 

Recorded , 17 th August , 1562. 

At Edinburgh ye tent day of Februarye, zeir of God Jmyclxi 
yeiris, It is appoyntit, aggreit, and finallie contractit, betwixt hon- 
rable psons. That are to say—Walter, Abbot of Kinloss, and 
ewfame Dundass, relict of umqhl. Alexr. Adamson, burges of 
edinbur., for yaire selfis and for Catharine Reid, dochter to ye said 
ewfame, and sister-german to ye said Abbot, on yat ane pairt, and 



ESTATE OF B1SHOPMILL. 


287 


Maister Alexr. Dunbar of West Grange on yat oyr pairt, in man¬ 
ner, form, and effect as efter follows : That is to say, ye said 
Maister Alexr. Dunbar will (God willing) tak to his spousit wyff 
ye said Catharine, and sail contract and solemnizat m’iage wt her, 
in ye face of ye holie congregation, betwix yis and ye fest of 
Whitsounday nex to cum, and at ye contracting of ye said m’iage, 
or if before, ye said Abbot sail infeft, or cause to be infeft suffi- 
cientlie, ye said Catharine in feu ferm, and ye airs to be gotten 
betwix ye said Maister Alexr. and hir, whilks failzieing, to ye said 
Katherine’s airs quhats’mever, in all and haill ye lands of ye West 
Grange, wt ye myln yairof, lyand wtin ye Barony of Kinloss, and 
Sh’fdome of Elgyne and Forres, to be halden of ye Abbot and 
c’nvent y’of, or of ye gevars of ye said infeftment, to the said 
Catharine for payment of the yeirlie dewtie in ye feu charter 
granted be ye Abbot and convent to the fewaris of ye said landis; 
and als ye said Abbot sail gif to ye said Maister Alexander, at ye 
contracting of ye said m’iage, in name of tocher-gude, ye soume 
of fyve hunder m’ks, and sicklyk ye said ewfame sail gif to ye said 
Maister Alexr., in name of tocher-gude, wt ye said Katharine, ye 
tyme above specifit, ye soume of fyve hunder m’ks, and yt by and 
aftr ye soume of ane thousand m’ks ye qylk ye said Katherine hes 
ellis in hir awin hand left to tocher by ane reverend fader in God, 
umqhl. Robert Bischop of Orkney, her fader brither, whilk haill 
soumes, extending all togidder to ye soume of twa thousand m’ks, 
sail be gevin as said is to ye said Maister Alexr., bot to be laid 
upon land to the utilitie and proffut of the said Maister Alexr. 
and Katherine, in all gudlie and possible haist. The quhilkis 
lands iieand coft wt ye said tocher, ye said Maister Alexander and 
Katherine, sail be infeft in conjunct fee to be bruikat heritablie be 
yame, and ye langest levand of yame twa, and ye airs to be gotten 
betwix yame; qlks failzieing, to ye said Catharine’s airs quhatsowr. 
For ye qulks causs the said Maister Alexr. bindis and obliss him 
be yir p’nts yat he sail infeft ye said Katherin in conjunct fee wt 
himself, and the airs gotten or to be gotten betwix y’m, in all and 
sundrie landis yat it sail happen ye said Maister Alexr. to by, con¬ 
quest, or oyrwise heritablie obtain, and sicklyke in all and sundrie 
fischeingis, tackis, lyfrentis, yat he byis or otherwaies purchases, 
yat he put ye said Katharine yrin wt him to be bruikat be yame 


288 


NOTES. 


coiTintlie, and be her in cais sche happen to leif after him, and 
fryr bindis and obliss him be yr p'nts to assist wt his kin, friendis, 
and allyas yat will do for him to the said Abbot for ye defence 
and maintenance of his lands, benefits, guidis, and gear, and to 
defend him in all his causs and debats in the law, and by the law, 
and to resist to all yame yat invaidis, aidis against, or persewis ye said 
Abbat, his friendis, servandis, guidis, or gear, or onywise molestis 
or troublis him, and sail continue wt ye said Abbot wt all his 
tyme and diligince, wt all his friendis, yat he may procure or will 
do for him to ye weill furthsetting, defence, and maintenance of ye 
said Abbat, his servandis, and friendis, as against all invaders or 
troublaris, and for observing, keeping, and fulfilling of all and 
sundry ye premises be bayth ye saidis parties to the oyers, for yr 
pairts, they haif subscrievit yir prits wit yar handis, in manner 
underwritten, day, zeir, and place foresaid, before yir witnesses— 
Maister Robert Rilsendrown, Thesourer; Mr. Alex. Syme, Advocat; 
Alexr. Acheson of Gosford; Mr. Peter Galbraith, Notary Publics; 
and als baith ye saidis prts, for ye mair observing and keeping of 
yir premises, are content and consents yat yir pnts be insert in ye 
buiks of Counsale, and haif ye strength of ane decreet of the 
Lords yairof, vit executorials to pass yaireupon in form as effeiris, 
and for inserting of ye said, maks and constituts bouth persons— 
Maisters David Borthwick, Alex. Sym, Alex. Skene, yeir undoubted 
prourators, gevin, grantin, committin to ym yer power to compeir 
before ye Lordis of Counsale foresaid, and to consent in yeir 
names for inserting of ye samen in ye said buiks. Sic subscri- 
bitur— Alexr. Dunbar ; Walter, Abbat of Kinloss. 


ESTATE OF MORRISTON. 


289 


IX.—MORRISTON. 


1. The following inventory of titles of the estates 
belonging to the Douglases and Martins of Morris- 
ton is copied from an old inventory, which appears to 
have been produced in the process of ranking and 
sale of the estates of William Martin of Harriewood, 
in the Court of Session, about the middle of last 
century, at which period Morriston was bought at 
the judicial sale by the Earl of Fife. It is a docu¬ 
ment of some importance, and throws considerable 
light on the families who possessed this property 
during the 17th and part of the 18 th centuries, and 
may therefore be considered as worth preserving :— 


Progres of Martino of Harwood's Estate , in the 

Shire of Murray. 

1. Special service of Mr. John Douglas before the Shirreff 
of Elgin, of the half-davoch of land of Middlehaugh, alias 
Morieston, lying as therin described, which held formerly of 
the Bishop of Murray, and now of the Protector, for payment of 
16s. 3d. Scotts yearly, and doubling the feu-duty at the entry 
of each heir. Dated 28th Decer., 1655. 

2. Seasine which proceeds on a precept furth of the Chancel 
lary on the said lands of Murrayston, in favour of the said Mr. 
John Douglas, dated 18th Octor., 1656. The precept is not pro¬ 
duced, but the seasine takes it in verbatim, and directs security to 

S 


290 


NOTES. 


be taken for 32s. 3d., as the duplication of the few farm, being the 
entry of ane heir. 

3. Original charter, granted by the Magistrates of Elgin, in 
favours of the s’d Mr. John Douglas, of that piece of land com¬ 
passed with the water of Lossie, and rin flowing from the said 
water to the Milns of Elgin, and from them to the said water 
again, as the same divides the said pieces land from the lands of 
Loomsheugh and Oldmilns at the west, and the Miln Croft at the 
south, and the lands of Morrieston at the north and east parts, for 
payment of 30s. 3d., as the feu farm duty, and twelve dies in aug¬ 
mentation of the rentall. Dated 28th March, 1659. 

4. Seasine following thereon. Dated 2d Aprile thereafter. 

5. Precept of clare, by Murdoch Bishop of Murray, superior 
of the lands of Murraystoun, in favours of the said Mr. John 
Douglas, of the saids lands of Murraystoun, for payment of the 
foresaid yearly feu-duty. Dated 11th March, 1664. 

6. Seasine following thereon, dated 25th March, s’d year, and 
regrt. 29th of s’d month in the particular register of seasines. 

7. Seasine in favours of the said Mr. John Douglas, of all and 
haill that hill, commonly called the Castlehill, or Ladyhill of 
Elgin, proceeding on a contract betwixt Alexander Earle of Mur- 
.ray, and the said Mr. John Douglas. The seasine dated 8th May, 

1666, and registrat in the general register the 14 June thereafter. 

8. Contract of wadsett betwixt the said Mr. John Douglas and 
Robert Martine, Writter in Edinburgh, whereby, for security of 
8260 m’ks resting by the said Mr. John Douglas to him, he wad- 
setts and dispones the said half-davocli of land of Middlehaugh, 
alias Murraystoun, redeemable for payment of the said sum. The 
term of redemption suspended for five years. Dated 23d October, 
1665. 

9. Instrument of seasine following upon the precept of seasine 
contained in the said contract, dated 26th October, 1665, and 
registrat in the general register the 6th Nover. thereafter. 

10. Discharge of the reversion by the said Mr. John Douglas 
to the said Mr. Robert Martine, narrating the forsaid contract, and 
ratifying and approving thereof, discharging the reversion con- 
cieved in his favours, and declaring the lands to pertain to the said 
Mr. Robert Martine, and his forsaids, heritably and irredeemably. 


ESTATE OF MORRISTON. 


291 


Dated 22d October, 1668, and registrat in the generall register 
10th Nover. yrafter. 

11. Extract speciall service of the said Mr. Robert Martine 
before the Baillies of Elgin, 7 May, 1663, finding and cognoscing 
him heir to Robert Martine, Burges of Elgin, his father, in the 
particular lands, rents, and others therein specially described. 

12. Seasine in favours of the said Mr. Robert Martin, proceed¬ 
ing on a precept of clare constat, granted by the Bishop of Mur¬ 
ray, superior of the lands called Baxter’s Croft, and Roust’s Croft, 
finding the said Robert Martine, Burges of Elgin, his father, dyed 
last vest therein, and ordaining him to be infeft. The feu-duty 
payable out of Baxter’s Croft is 13s. 4d., and out of Roust’s Croft, 
£2 3s. 4d., with the astricted multures of the lands to the Miln of 
Bishopmiln, and giving suit and presence at the Bishop’s three 
head courts, and doubling the feu-duty at the entry of each heir, 
and gooing with the Bishop and his Baillies sufficiently accoutered 
to the King’s wars. The precept is dated 2 June, 1663, and the 
instrument of sasine the 6th of the said month and year, and 
registrat in the general register the 27 of the said month of June. 

13. Charter of confirmation by Murdoch Bishop of Murray, in 
favours of the said Mr. Robert Martine, ratifying the contract of 
wadsett past betwixt Mr. John Douglas and him, and seasine 
thereon, with the renounciation and discharge of the reversion, 
and confirming the same in the heall heads and contents. Dated 
22d Octor., 1672. 

14. Decreet of adjudication, at the instance of the said Mr. 
Robert Martin, against Agnes, Margaret, and Barbara Douglases, 
lawfull daughters and heirs-portioners of the said Mr. John Doug¬ 
las, who was served and retoured heir to the said deceast Mr. 
Gavin Douglas, and Robert Douglas, Burges of the Burgh of 
Elgin, broyr-german and heir-male of the said Mr. John Douglas, 
and against Mr. William Burnet, Minister at Cullen, husband to 
the said Agnes, and Mr. Robert Skeen, Schoolmaster at Elgin, 
spouse to the said Barbara, for their interests, adjudging from 
them the whole lands and rents contained in Mr. John Douglas 
speciall retours and seasines mentioned. Two aughteen parts of 
the Grewesliip lands of Elgin, ane 18th part of Bareflathills, and 
ane 18th part of the liaugh thereof, to pertain to him and his 


292 


NOTES. 


heirs, for payment of the accumulate sum of XI 1,421 Scotts 
money, and a rent from the term of Martinmas, 1674. The det. 
of adjudication is dated 22d January, 1676, and the abbreviate 
recorded the 4 March thereafter. 

15. Charter granted by the Magistrates of Elgin upon the for- 
said decreet of adjudication of the houses and tofts of the old and 
new Milns of Elgin, and of the piece of land compassed with the 
water of Lossie. The two aughteen parts of the Greweship lands 
of Elgin; the aughteen part of the town and lands of Bareflat- 
hills, and 18th part of the haugh thereof. Dated 9th Octor., 1676. 

16. Seasine upon the forsaid charter. Dated 12th Octor., said 
year, but not registrat. 

17. Seasine in favours of the said Mr. Robert Martine, proceed¬ 
ing upon a charge of horning given in virtue of the forsaid decreete 
of adjudication to the Magrts. of Elgin, upon the severall burrow 
roods, aikers, &c., within the town of Elgin. Dated 12th Octor., 
1676. 

18. Disposition by Margaret and Barbara Douglases, daughters 
and heirs-portioners of the said Mr. John Douglas, and grandchil¬ 
dren and heirs-portioners of Mr. Gavin Douglas, in favours of the 
said Mr. Robert Martine, narrating that he was to satisfy and pay 
'the debts of their saids predecessors therein specially enumerate, 
and that the said Mr. John Douglas was tutor dative to the said 
umqh. Robert Martine, and did middle and intromitt with, at 
least ought to have intromitted, with severall sums of money, 
resting to the said umqh. Robert Martine (a blank left for these 
debts). Therefore, and for certain sums of money, they dispone 
the haill lands contd. in the forsaid decreet of adjudication, and 
ratify the adjudication. Dated 1st May, 1675. 

Note.— Betwixt this time and the 1685, Mr. Robert Martine 
was forfieted, and Jean Porterfield, his wife, gott the gift of for¬ 
feiture, and there are five precepts taken out from the Chancery, 
directed to the severall superiors of the lands, for infefting her; 
but no seasine was taken, because the doom of forfeiture was 
rescinded by the 18th Act of King W. & Q. M. Parliament, 
entitled, Act Rescinding Forfietures and Fines past since the year 
1665, in which Act Mr. Robt. Martine, Clerk of the Court of 
Justiciary, is expressly named, and John Martine, his eldest son, 
made up his titles to his father. 


ESTATE OF MORRISTON. 


293 


19. Two coppies of the speciall retour of John Martine as heir 
to the said Mr. Robert Martine, his father, in the lands of Kirk- 
toun of St. Andrew’s, Easter and Wester Coldcoats, with the 
tiends, the lands of Middlehaugh or Murrayston, with severall 
other lands yrin ennumerate, upon a service before the Macers. 
Dated 1st Deer., 1691. 

Note.— The precept from the Chancery for infefting in the 
lands holding of the Crown is not produced, hut is narrated ver¬ 
batim in the seasine aftermentioned. 

20. Seasine in favours of the said John Martine, in the saids 
lands of Kirktoun of St. Andrew’s, Kirkhill, Easter and Wester 
Coldcoats, Murraystown, and Baxter’s Croft. Dated 14 May, 1692, 
and registrat 7th June thereafter. 

21. Precept from the Chancellary, directed to the Magistrates 
of Elgin, for infefting the said John Martine in that piece of land 
wdiich is surrounded with the water of Lossie, and in the Two 
Aughteen parts of the Greewship lands of Elgin, with the common 
pasturages, grass land, and moss ward pertaining thereto, and in 
the aughteen part of the town and lands Bareflathills, and 18th 
part of the haugh thereof. Dated 9th January, 1692. 

22. Precept from the Chancery, directed to the said Magtrs., 
for infefting the said John Martine in the severall roods, aikers, 
rents, and others therein particularly enumerate. Dated 9 Janry., 
1692. 

Note.— There appears no infeftment to have followed on these 
two precepts. 

23. Registrat disposition by the said John Martine, in favours 
of Jean Porterfield, his mother, relict of the said Mr. Robert 
Martine, of the lands of Ai-kenway, and salmond fishing thereof; 
the lands of Collie, Freefield, and Whitwrea; the lands of Kirk- 
town of St. Andrew’s, and Kirkhill; Easter and Wester Coldcoatts ; 
Middlehaugh, or Murrayston; Lady Hill ; with the haill houses, 
biggings, milns, woods, fishings, tofts, crofts, roods, and aikers of 
land, lying within the Burgh of Elgin, which pertained to the sd. 
umqh. Mr. Robert Martine, as the samen are designed in his rights 
and infeftments, and all oyr heretages, tennements, and rents 
which pertained to him by heretable bond, apprising adjudication, 
or otherways containing a pro’ry for serving him heir to his fayr, 


294 


NOTES. 


and for resigning the lands in the hands of his superiors, for heri¬ 
table and irredeemable infeftments to be given her, containing 
absolute warrandice, assignation to the maills and duties, and a 
precept of seasine. Dated 12th August, 1691, and regrt. in the 
books of Session 11th August, 1692. 

24. Instrument of seasine, following upon the precept of 
seasine contained in the forsaid disposition, in favours of the said 
Jean Porterfield. Dated 29tli Septr., 1696, and registrat in the 
generall register 26th Nover. thereafter. 

25. Contract of marriage betwixt William Martine, Writer in 
Edinr., lawfull son of the said deceast Mr. Robert Martine, and 
Margaret Lockhart, only daughter of Mungo Lockhart of Har¬ 
wood, wherein the said Jean Porterfield, mother of the said William 
Martine, proprietor of the lands above mentioned, dispones, in 
favours of the said William Martine, the haill lands, rents, and 
others contained in John’s speciall service, with all right and title 
which she had thereto, whether as donator to her husband’s for¬ 
feiture, or by the dispos’n from her son, above mentioned, dated 
16 June, 1699; and the said Margaret Lockhart, heretor of the 
lands underwritten, and as being infeft on a charter from James 
Lord Torphichen, superior, 21st Deer., 1698, dispones to the said 
William Martine and herself, and the longest liver of them two, in 
liferent, and to the heirs-male or female to be procreat of the said 
marriage, and a long substitution of heirs, the lands of Litle Har¬ 
wood or Commonbrea, the lands of Cowhill and Dyebog. 

2. I have mentioned in the text that after the 
death of Robert Martin of Morriston, his estates 
were forfeited to the Crown, on 22d May, 1685, and 
his widow, and family of eight children, left in de¬ 
plorable want and destitution. Mrs. Martin, whose 
maiden name was Jean Porterfield, had the influence 
in the following year, 1686, to obtain a gift from the 
Crown of the Estate of Morriston, and, considering 
the very prominent part her husband took against 
the Government, this gift must be considered an act 


ESTATE OF MORRISTON. 


295 


of very great liberality for these times. The follow¬ 
ing is a copy of the deed :— 

Jacobus, dei gratia magnae Brittannae, Franciae, et Hiberniae, 
Rex, Reverendo in Christo patri, miseratione divina Moraviae 
Episcopo, et suis successoribus in dicto officio superiori terrarum 
aliarumque subscript, et balivis suis, salutem. Quia totum et integ¬ 
rum dimidium davatae terrarum de Middlehaugh, alias Morristoun, 
cum pertinentibus infra vicecomitatum nostrum de Elgin et Forres 
jacent, quodque dimidium davatae terrarum de Middlehaugh, alias 
Morristoun, cum debitis monetae summis et obligationibus quibis- 
cunque unacum molendinis, sylvis, piscationibus, partibus, pendi- 
culis, et pertinentibus earundem ad dictas terras pertinentibus ut 
profertur jacentibus, ad quondam Magistrum Robertum Martin, 
aliquando curiae nostrae justiciarii clericum pertinuerunt per 
ipsum de te Moraviae Episcopum tamquam superiore earundem 
immediate tent., et nunc in manibus nostris, et ad nostram dona- 
tionem, et presentationem devenerunt, et incumbent ob processum 
sententiae, et forisfacturae contra dictum Magistrum Robertum 
Martin, Parliamenti nostri ordines juste pronunciatum vigesimo 
secundo die mensis Maii, millesimo sexcentesimo octogesimo 
quinto, pro quibusdam criminibus laeso majestatis et perduellionis, 
per ipsum commissis, prout in decreto et sententia forisfacturae 
debite deduct., latius continetur : et nos perpendentes deplorabilem 
conditionem Jeanae Porterfield, relictae quondam dicti Magistri 
Roberti Martin, cum bona ejus conversatione, et amore erga 
regime 11 * nostrum, et ea innata nostra dementia gratiose com- 
miserantes miserabilem conditionem dictae viduae, et octo ejus 
pupillorum per dictum demortuum suum maritum relictorum, 
et nolentes de Moraviae Episcopum superiorem antedictum in supe- 
rioritate tua dicti dimidii davatae terrarum de Middlehaugh, cum 
pertinentibus praedictis praejudicari, sed potius tibi sufficientem 
tenentem earundem providere ; Igitur nos cum avisamento et 
consensu praedilectorum et confisorum nostrorum consanguineorum 
et conciliorum Jacobi Comitis de Perth, conciliarii hujus regni 
nostri Scotiae; Joannis Marchionis de Athol, nostri secreti sigilli 
custodis; Gulielmi Ducis de Hamilton; Georgii Vicecomitis de 
Tarbat ; et Gulielmi Vicecomitis de Strathallan, Propraefecti 



296 


NOTES. 


copiarum nostrarum in dicto regno, necnon reliquorum scaccarii 
dicti nostri regni commissionariorum prsefatam Jeanam Porterfield, 
ejusque heredes et assignatos quoscumque immediatos hereditarios 

tenentes tibi.Moravice Episcopo 

et successoribus tuis in dicto officie superiori dictar m terrarum 
aliarumque preedict, cum pertinent preesentavimus tenoreque pre- 
sentium cum consensu preedict, presentamus; requiren igitur te 

.Moraviee Episcopum et successores tuos 

in dicto officio superiores preedict, terrarum de Middlehaugh, alias 
Morriestoun, preedict, cum pertinent, quatenus preefatee Jeanee 
Porterfield, ejusdem heredibus et assignatis dicti dimidii davatee 
terrarum de Middlehaugh, alias Moriestoun, cum molendinis, pis- 
cationibus, et pertinent., recipias eiisdemque, sufficentia hereditaria 
infeofamenta desuper conficias et adeo libere de te et successoribus 
tuis tenendas sunt dictus quondam Magister Robertus Martin, in 
easdem terras aliaque preedicta cum pertinent antedict foris fac- 
turam tenuit et promittimus in vestro principio presentem hane 
nostram donationem, dispositionem, et presentationem in proximo 
nostro Parliamento ratifacari eandemq. Parliamenti nostri ordinibus 
in hunc effectum sufficiens fore warrentum ordinamus. Et pre- 
terea Literas per te vivas et intellectas latori reddetis. Datum sub 
testimonio nostri sigilli magni apud aulam nostram de Whythall, 
nono die mensis Novembris, annoque nostri regni secundo, 1686. 

Jean Porterfield, wife of Robert Martin, was con¬ 
nected with a respectable family in the West of 
Scotland. George Porterfield was Provost of Glas¬ 
gow, at or before the year 1660 ; Alexander Porter¬ 
field of Falwood, Alexander Porterfield of Quarrelton, 
John Porterfield of Duchal, and William Porterfield, 
all suffered severely for the Covenant by fine, im¬ 
prisonment, forfeiture, &c. Porterfield of Duchal was 
condemned to death, but seems to have escaped the 
final sentence. (See Wodrow’s History.) 




ESTATE OF SHERIFFMILL. 


29 7 


X.—AUCHTERSP YNIE, OR SHERIFFMILL. 

1. Charter, Andrew Bishop of Moray, to Walter 
de Moravia, for the site of a mill at Ucliterspyny, 
now called Sherrffmill, dated 1237 — 


Universis sancte matris ecclesie filiis has literas visuris vel 
audituris, Andreas permissione divina Moraviensis Episcopus eter- 
nam in domino salutem: Noverint universi nos de consensu et 
voluntate capituli nostri dedisse et concessisse et hac carta nostra 
confirmasse Waltero de Moravia et heredibus suis, imum situm 
molendini super Lossy, in terra nostra de Uchtyrspyny, ex orientali 
parte rogi qui est in eadem terra. Quare volumus et concedimus 
ut dictus Walterus et heredes sui habeant in loco predicto molen- 
dinum suum et possideant jure perpetuo ad molendinum bladum 
suum et hominum suorum, adeo libere quiete et honorifice plenarie 
sicut aliquis Baro in Moravia, liberius, quietius, honorificientius et 
plenarius molendinum suum habet et possidet. Reddendo nobis 
et successoribus nostris, nomine recognitionis singulis annis ad 
festum Pentecostes unam libram piperis et aliam libram cumyni. 
Ut autem hsec nostra concessio perpetuo stabilis maneat firma et 
inconcussa appositione sigilli nostri cum subscriptionibus quorun- 
dem canonicorum est roborata. Actum anno gratia} millesimo 
ducentesimo trigesimo septimo, sexto die Idus Octobris. Testi- 
bus Domino David de Strathbolgyn ; Magistro Willielme Agno; 
W. de Suthyrland; fratre Nicholao; fratre Alano; Monachis; 
Laurentio; Roberto; Barth olomeo Capellanis; Simone de Rog- 
heis, Magistro Gregorio Comentario; Ricardo, vitreario; et multis 
aliis. 


298 


NOTES. 


After the death of Friskinus de Moravia, the mill 
was held by his daughters' husbands pro indiviso, 
viz. :—two-thirds by Reginald Cheyne, and one-third 
by William de Fedderet. On the failure of the heirs 
of Fedderet, his third went to the Crown, and when 
the male line of the Cheynes died out, the daughters 
of the family, two co-heiresses, carried their shares 
to Keith of Inverugie and Sutherland of Duffus. 
The mill was therefore divided into three parts, and 
so continued as the joint-property of three families 
until the middle of the 17th century, when Suther¬ 
land of Duffus acquired the whole. 

At what period the family of Douglas of Pitten- 
dreich settled in the North, is uncertain, but there is 
a great probability that it took place in the early 
part of the 13th century, when Bricius was Bishop 
of Moray. In any event, the family of Pittendreich 
was a very ancient and honourable branch of the 
great house of Douglas, and eventually became Earls 
of Angus. In the middle of the 15th century, they 
had a considerable estate in the Lowlands of Moray, 
having, besides Pittendreich, one-third of the Parish 
of Duffus, with the third of Sheriffmill, and an ex¬ 
tensive property in the Parish of St. Andrew’s and 
elsewhere. The original charter of the third part of 
Duffus, and of the third of the Mill of Sheriffmill, 
in favour of James Douglas of Pittendreich, is pre¬ 
served at Gordonstown, and is in fine condition— 
remarkably neatly written, and a beautiful specimen 
of old penmanship. It is dated at Edinburgh the 
14th August, 1472. Having been kindly permitted 
to have the use of it, by Lady Gordon Cumming, I 


ESTATE OF SHERIFFMILL. 


299 


here insert a correct copy from the original, and am 
pleased to have the opportunity of preserving so 
valuable a document. It is a matter of much regret 
that the old family of Douglas of Pittendreich, the 
last landed proprietors of the name in the North, 
should be now extinguished. I may observe that 
this charter, although it proves that the Douglas 
family had the third of DufFus in 1472, yet it does 
not follow that they may not have possessed it at a 
much earlier date— 

2. Jacobus, dei gratia Rex Scottorum, omnibus probis homini- 
bus, tocius terre sue clericis, et laicis salutem sciatis me dedisse 
concessisse, et ad feodifirmam dimisisse, et hac presenti carta nostra 
confirmasse dilecto, et fideli nostro Jacobo de douglas dePettindreth, 
totam et integram terciam partem nostram terrarum de duffhous, 
cum pertinentiis ac terciam partem nostram molendini volgariter 
muncupati lesseff myln (le shereff my In), et totam et integram 
terciam partem nostram terrarum de saltcotis, cum pertinenciis, 
Jacentia infra vicecomitatum nostrum de Elgin, tenendam et 
habendam totam et integram dictam terciam partem terrarum de 
duffliouss, ac terciam partem dicti molendini, et terciam partem 
terrarum de Saltcottis, cum pertinentiis dicto Jacobo de douglas, et 
heredibus suis de nobis heredibus, et successoribus nostris in feodi- 
firma, et hereditate imperpetuum per omnes rectas metas suas 
antiquas, et divisas prout jacent in longitudine et latitudine in 
boscis, planis, moris, maresiis, viis, semitis, aquis, stagnis, rivolis, 
pratis, pascuis, et pasturis, molendinis, multuris, et eorum sequelis, 
aucupationibus, venacionibus, piscationibus, petariis, turbariis, car- 
bonariis, lapicide, lapide et calce, fabrilibus, brasinis, brueriis, et 
genestis, cum curiis et earum exitibus, herezeldis, bludewitis, et mer- 
chetis mulierum, cuniculis, cuniculariis, columbis, columbariis, silvis 
nemoribus, hortis, pomariis, ac cum omnibus aliis et singulis liber- 
tatibus, commoditatibus, et asiamentis, ac justis pertinentiis quibus- 
cunque, tarn non nominatis, quam nominatis, ad dictam terciam 
partem de duffhous, prefati molendini, et terrarum de saltcotis, cum 



300 


NOTES. 


pertinentiis spectant seu quovismodo juste spectare valent in 
futurum, libere, quiete, integre, honorifice, bene et in pace, sine 
aliquo retinemento, aut revocaciana quacunque. Reddendo, et 
soluendo annuatim dictus Jacobus de Douglas, et heredes sui nobis 
heredibus et successoribus nostris, pro totis et integris predictis 
terciis partibus terrarum et molendini viginti duas libras, et decern 
solidos usualis monete regni nostri ad duos anni terminos usuales 
pentechostis, et sancti martini in hieme, per equales porciones, ac 
Reverendis in Christo, patribus episcopis moraviensi annuatim tri- 
ginta quatuor solidos, et quinque denarios prefate monete ad ter¬ 
minos prescriptos nomine annui Redditus dictis Episcopis de 
prefata tercia parte terrarum de Saltcotis, et dicti molendini debiti 
et etiam soluendo nobis et successoribus nostris ad dictum ter- 
minum sancti martini, in hieme, annuatim, octo celdras ordei 
contigue consuete mensure nomine feodifirme tantum. In cujus rei 
testimonium presenti carte nostre magnum sigillum nostrum apponi 
precepimus. Testibus Reverendis in Christo patribus Willelmo 
Episcopo moraviensi, nostri secreti sigilli custode; Henrico Episcopo 
Rossensi; discretis consanguineis nostris Andrea domino Avondale 
cancellario nostro ; Colino comite de Ergile domino Lome, magistro 
hospicii nostri; Jacobo domino Hammiltoune ; Willelmo domino 
Monypenny; Johanne de Culquhone de eodem milite; magistris 
David de Guthre, de eodem clerico rotulatorum nostrorum, et 
Registri; Johanne Layng, Rectori de Newlandis, nostro thesaurario; 
et Archibaldo de Quhitelaw, Archidiacono Laodonie, nostro Secre- 
tario; apud Edinburgh, decimo quarto die mensis augusti, anno 
domini millesimo quadringentesimo septuagessimo secundo, et regni 
nostri decimo tercio.* 


* On farther consideration, I am inclined to be of opinion that the family of 
Douglas acquired the third part of Duffus, lands in the Barony of Kilmalemnock, 
with other estates in the North of Scotland, through the marriage of Archibald the 
Grim, Earl of Douglas, with Joan, grand daughter of Sir Andrew Moray, Lord of 
Bothwell. Perhaps in the same way the estate of Pittendrich was acquired, but this 
is not to apparent. Archibald Earl of Douglas conveyed these lands, with many 
others, to his brother James, who was afterwards seventh Earl of Douglas. Mr 
Cosmo Innes, in a foot-note to his Sketches of Early Scotch History, page 398, 
remarks as followsArchibald Earl of Douglas granted to his brother-german 
James of Douglas the Barony of Petyn (Petty), the third of Doufhous (Duffus), <frc., 
and all the lands lying within the Thaynedomeis, in the Lordship of Kylmalaman 
(Kilmalemak), in the Sheriffdom of Elgin, confirmed by crown charter of James I., 
anno regni twenty-one, 1426.” See also Douglas’ Peerage, volume 1—Head, Douglas 
Family. 


ESTATE OF SHERIFFMILL. 


301 


3. The following disposition of the third part of 
Duffiis, third of the Mill of Sheriffmill, and other 
subjects, in the year 1631, proves the date when the 
Marischal family sold their estates in Morayshire, 
long possessed by them, to the Sutherlands of Duf- 
fus. It is granted by William Earl Marischal in 
favour of James Sutherland, Tutor of Duffiis, then 
acting as guardian for his nephew, Alexander Suther¬ 
land, afterwards the first Lord Duffiis. It discloses 
the curious fact that the Earl Marischal’s lands in 
Duffiis, like his Estates of Inverugie, in Buchan, 
were all considered to be in the County of Banff. 
It was a period of decline with the Keith family, a 
prelude to their entire fall, nearly a century later, 
when, in an evil day, they embraced the cause of the 
Stuart family, and fatally joined the Bebellion of 
1715, not only entailing a great loss to themselves, 
but to their country, for two finer men than George, 
the last Earl Marischal, and his brother, Field-Mar¬ 
shal James Keith, never left their native land :— 

At Fettiresso & Abirden, the aught and nynt days of Junii, 
the zear of God Jay vjc and threttie ane zeires (1631), it is ap- 
poyntit, agriet, and ffinallie contractit betwixt the pairties follow¬ 
ing, to witt, ane noble & potent Erill, William erill of Merschell, 
Lord Keith and Alterie, on the ane pairt, and James Sutherland, 
tutor of Duffus, on the other pairt, In maner, forme, and effect as 
efter followes:—That is to say, fforsameikill as the said James 
Sutherland hes publiclie, at the dait heirof, reallie, and with effect 
contented, payit, and delyverit to the said noble Erill, ane certane 
great sowme of money, ffor performing and accomplishing of cer¬ 
tane of his necessar affaires and bussiness: Quhairof the said 
nobill erill haldis him weill content, satisfeit, and payit, and for 
him, his aires, execrs., and assignayes, Exoneris quyt clames, and 


302 


NOTES. 


simpliciter discharges the said James Sutherland, his aires, execrs., 
and assigns., and all utheris quhom it effieris, of the same, for 
now evir renouncand the exceptione of not numerat money, and 
all othur exceptionnes of the law quhatsomever that may be pro- 
ponit or alledgit in the contrair. Thairfor the said noble erle hes 
sauld, annaleit, and disponit, and be the tenor heirof sells, annalies, 
and dispones ffra him, his aires, and successores, to and in favors 
of the said James Sutherland, his aires and assignayes quhatsom¬ 
ever, heritablie and irredeemablie, but ony inaner of reversion, re- 
demptioun, or regres, bond, promise, or conditioun of reversioun 
or redemptioun quhatsumever, All and haill the said nobill erle, 
his third pairt of all and sundrie the landis of Duffus, with the 
liousses, biggings, zairdes, toftis, croftis, outsetts, insetts, annexis, 
connexis, dependancies, tennents, tenandries, and service of ffrie 
tenents of the same, pairtis, pendicles, and pertinentis thairof 
quhatsumever, lyand within the SherefFdome of Elgin and Forres, 
and be annexation, within the Sheriffdome of Banff, and Lord- 
schippe of Inverugie, together with the third vice and turne of 
the patronage of the Kirk of Duffus, and personage teindis thairof 
perteining of auld to the said nobill erle and his predecessors, and 
with the advocation, donation, and right of patronage of all chap- 
laneries of the said third pairt landis, and siclyk the advocatioun, 
donatioun, and right of patronage of the vicarage of the said para- 
chin of Duffus, lyand as said is; And also All and Haill the third 
pairt milne of Auchterspynie, alias Sherfmilne, with the shilling 
hill, miller’s landis, and utheris necessarie, perteining to the said 
milne, situat uponn the water of Lossie, within the boundis of 
Auchterspynie, Shrefdome foresaid, and regalitie of Spynie. 
Lykeas the said nobill erle bindis and oblisses him, and his aires, 
with all convenent diligence, to dewlie and sufficiently infeft and 
seas be charter and sesing, titulo indorse >, in dew and competent 
forme, the said James Sutherland, his aires-maill, and assigns for- 
saidis, heritablie and irredeemablie, as said is, In all and sundrie 
the foresaids third pairt landis, milne, and right of patronages 
respective forsaidis, be severall and doubill infeftmentis, ane yrof 
to be halden of the said nobill erle and his forsaidis in few ferme 
and heritage, ffor the zeirlie paymt. of the soume of ffourscour 
merkis money of this realme, at tua termis in the zeir, Witsonday, 
and Mertinmes in winter, be equall portiones, in name of feu 
ferme, and doubling the said few ferme dewtie the first zeir of the 


ESTATE OF SHERIFFMILL. 


303 


entrie of ilk air, as use is of few ferme allenerlie, and with this 
speciall provisioun and conditioun, that the not payment of the 
said few ferme dewtie be the space of tua termis enacted together 
sail be no caus of nullitie or reduction of the said Infeftment, not¬ 
withstanding of quhatsomever names, actis, or constitutiones maid, 
or to be maid, in the contrair, and siclyke, provyding that it sail 
nawayes be leisum to the said nobill erle or his forsaidis to poynd 
or distremzie the guids and gear being upon the ground of the 
landis, nather to apprys the propertie of the same ffor the said 
few ferme dewtie, nor of na reall executioun yairfor; but onlie 
sail have personall executioun against the said James Sutherland 
and his forsaidis allenerlie for payment of the same, and the other 
of the saidis infeftments to be halden fra the said noble erle and 
his forsaidis, as imediat lawful superiors imediatelie, To witt, the 
said third pairt, milne, milleir’s landis, schillingliill, and pertinentis 
yairof, to be halden of ane Reverend father in God, John bischop 
of Murray, superior yairof, siclyke, and als frielie in all respectis 
as he haldis the same himselff; and the saidis third pairt landis 
of Duffus, with the third vice of the patronage yrof forsaid, and 
right of patronage of all uther chaplanries yrof, and vicarage of 
the same, with the pertinentis yairof above specifuit, to be halden 
of our soverane lord, and his hieres successors, be service of ward 
and relief, paying zeirlie, during the tyme of waird, the soume of 
ffourtie merkis money, with the proportionable pairt of the taxt 
-waird dewtie, conteint in the said nobill earle his infeftment of 
the said Lordschippe of Inverugie forsaid, and the soume of tua 
hundreth merkis money for the marriage of the air, and the pro¬ 
portionable pairt of the taxt marriage conteint in the said infeft¬ 
ment, and that ather be resignation or confirmatn., as best sail 
pleis the said James Sutherland and his forsaidis to desire, provyd¬ 
ing the said superiors then consent to the receiving of the said 
Resignatioun, or granting of the said confirmatioun, be purchasit, 
procurit, and exped to the said James Sutherland be his awin 
moyan, and upon his awin proper chairges and expenses; and for 
the better obteining of the said Infeftment of Resignation, the 
said nobill Erie lies maid, constitute, and ordainit, and be the 

tenor herof makes, constitutes, and ordains. 

.or any of y m conjunctlie and severallie, 

his very laull, undoutit, and irrevocabill prors, &c. 


304 


NOTES. 


Here is inserted a variety of other clauses , peculiar 
to the ancient and intricate forms of conveyancing; 
and then the testing clause , as follows :— 

And for the mair securitie, baith the saidis pairties ar content 
that thir presentis be insert and registrat in the buikes of counsall, 
to have the strength of ane decreit of the Lordis yairof, that ltres 
and execution of horning and utheris needful may be direct heir- 
on, on ane simple chairge of six days onlie, and for that effect 
constitutes Mr. James Keith and David Heriot thair lawfull pro’rs, 
promitten die rato. In witness qrof, baith the saidis pairtes hes 
subscryvit thir prsts., day, zeir, and place forsaid, befoir thir wit¬ 
nesses—James Ramsay, John Skein, and David Rob’tsone, Servi¬ 
tors to the said nobill Erie; John Bruce and Alexr. Smith, Servi¬ 
tors to the said James Sutherland; Patrik Gibsone of Kinminite, 
and William Dalgarno of Creiche. 

(Sic subsr.) MARISCHALL. 

J. SUTHERLAND. 

J. Ramsay, Witnes. 

John Skene, Witnes. 

David Robertsone, Witnes. 

John Bruce, Witnes. 

Wm. Dalgarno, Witnes to the subscriptioun of James Suther¬ 
land. 

Patrik Gibsone, Witnes to James Sutherland’s subscription. 

Alexr. Smith, Witnes as saidis.* 


* It will be observed that the name of the writer is not in the above deed; but, 
as it was executed before the last statute was passed regarding the testing of deeds, 
it perhaps was not then absolutely necessary to insert the name of the writer, or 
the number of sheets, which is also omitted. 


ESTATE OF SHERIFFMILL. 


305 


4 . The Family of Colder of Sheriffmill and 

Muir ton. 


Tele family of the Calders were long connected with, 
and took a prominent part in the affairs of the Burgh 
of Elgin, and were merchants and traders in the 
town. They were also, for great part of a century, 
proprietors of the lands of Sheriffmill, in the Parish 
of Spynie. They were a branch of the Calders of 
that ilk, and, before any of them settled in Moray¬ 
shire, had the Estate of Assuanlie, in heritage. 
Their lineage can only be briefly stated— 

1. Robert Calder, who was proprietor of the lands of Assuanlie 
in 1555, and had two sons. The younger son was James Calder. 

2. James Calder, above noted, settled in Elgin, and is supposed 
to have been a merchant there. 

3. Thomas Calder, his son, purchased the lands of Sheriffmill 
in 1639, and was Provost of Elgin in 1665 and 1669. He seems 
to have been a Bailie of the Burgh as early as 1647, as he is one 
of the magistrates who subscribe a letter to Sir Robert Gordon of 
Gordonstown, on 14th February, that year, asking his advice and 
assistance, in consequence of a threatened raid on the town by 
Lord Lewis Gordon. 

4. James Calder succeeded. Either he or his father built the 
fine old house on the north side of High Street, Elgin, where the 
Assembly Rooms and North Street now are placed, and which was 
long the family residence, and perhaps one of the finest houses of 
its kind ever in Elgin. It was only removed about the year 1820. 

T 


Social Life in 
Former Days, 
second series, 
page 54. 



NOTES. 


306 

He was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia, 5th November, 1686, 
and purchased the Estate of Muirton, in Kinloss. He was en- 
Sociai Life in gaged largely in trade with William Duff of Muirton, Provost of 
^firstTeHes^’ Inverness, his nephew William Duff of Dipple, and William King 
page 145. 0 f NeWmill, and being associated with such careful and prudent 
oirsof 1 the men > he should have made a large fortune, as his partners did. 
Duffs, page 61. p[ e ma y have been extravagant. At all events, he died in an em¬ 
barrassed state, and left his estate much encumbered. He married 
Grizel Innes, daughter of Sir Robert Innes of Innes, Baronet, by 
whom he had several children. He was succeeded by his eldest 
son, 

5. Sir Thomas Calder, born in 1662. He found his father’s 
estate much embarrassed, and, after making great exertions to 
recover it, he found it impossible. He disposed of Muirton in 
1710, and it eventually came into possession of the Roses of Kil- 
ravock. About the same time, Sheriffmill property was sold to 
William Duff of Dipple. Sir Thomas had considerable burgh 
property in Elgin also, but it went all from the family about this 
time, or shortly after. He married Christian, daughter of Sir 
John Scott of Ancrum, by whom he had a son, James, and various 
other children. A great intimacy appears to have subsisted between 
Sir Thomas, his lady, and the famous Henrietta Duchess of Gordon, 
a very talented and clever woman, and although Muirton was sold, 
they continued to live there down to the year 1723 at least, per¬ 
haps later. 

6. Sir James Calder. The family, either in his time, or in the 
latter period of his father’s life, settled in England. Sir James 
married Alice, daughter of Admiral Robert Hughes, by whom he 
had— 

1. Henry. 

2. Robert, born 2d July, 1745, an eminent naval commander; 
attained the rank of Admiral, and was created a Baronet, 1798. 
He married Amelia, daughter of John Mitchell, Esquire of Bay- 
field, Norfolk, and died without issue, 31st August, 1818. 

A daughter, Alithea, married Admiral Roddam of Roddam, 
County of Northumberland. 

7. Sir Henry Calder, a Major-General in the army. Married, 


ESTATE OF SHERIFFMILL. 


307 


first, Miss Earle of Beestone, in Norfolk, but by her had no issue; 
second, Louisa, daughter of Admiral Osborne, by whom he had 
one son, Henry Roddam. He died in 1792. 

8. Sir Henry Roddam Calder, born 1790; married, 1819, 
Frances Selina, fourth daughter of Edmund Henry first Earl of 
Limerick, and by her, who died 11th June, 1855, had— 

1. Henry Edmund Innes, born 4th October, 1820 ; died No¬ 
vember, 1824. 

2. William Henry Walsingham, present Baronet. 

3. Cecil Henry Francis, born 31st August, 1822; died Octo¬ 
ber, 1838. 

4. Edmund Henry George, born 13th June, 1824 ; died 
January, 1846. 

5. Charles Augustus Henry, born 13th March, 1831 ; died 
October, 1853. 

One daughter, Louisa Alice Frances, married, 11th November, 
1856, to Charles Fox Webster, second son of the late Sir Henry 
Webster; and secondly, 22d April, 1867, to John Coupland, Esq. 
of the Rookery, Cheshire. 

Sir Henry died 13th August, 1868. 

9. Sir William Henry Walsingham Calder, Baronet, born 14th 
September, 1821 ; succeeded his father, 13th August, 1868, as 
sixth Baronet. He married Julia, eldest danghter of Julius Hut¬ 
chinson of Manor Villa, Tunbridgewells, in the year 1842. 

The arms of Calder of Muirton are—Or, a hart’s head, 
cabossed, sable, attired, gules. Crest—a swan swimming in a 
loch, bordered with flags. 

Motto -“ VlGILANS NON CADET.” 

The family has had no connection with the North 
of Scotland for more than a century. 

The Calders of Assuanlie and Muirton derive 
their descent from Donald fifth Thane of Calder, 
who flourished between the years 1405 and 1442. 
Hucheon, or Hugh Calder, son of this Thane, became 

T 2 


Thanes 
of Cawdor, 
page 13. 


308 


NOTES. 


a retainer of the Earl of Huntly, and was present at 
the battle of Brechin, on the 18th May, 1452, be¬ 
tween the Earls of Huntly and Crawford, when the 
fortune of the day went against Crawford. Calder, 
who had fought valiantly through the day, pursued 
the Earl of Crawford so fiercely that he was separated 
entirely from his own friends, and was compelled, for 
safety, to join himself with the enemy’s forces, and 
so entered the Castle of Finhaven, Crawford’s resi¬ 
dence, along with the crowd. He sat at supper in 
the great hall along with the others, when an alarm 
having been raised that Huntly was upon them, all 
started to their arms, and in the confusion Calder 
made his escape, carrying off with him Crawford’s 
Gordon’s His- silver goblet, which he presented to the Earl of 

toryof the ® # *■ 

Gordons, voh Huntly at Brechin, as a voucher of his wonderful 

1) p^^GS 0«7> /U# ** 

Lord Lindsay’s adventure. This cup continued in the Calder family 
Lindsays, vol. until after the year 1745, when, having been pledged 

1, pages 137, n -i -i . •, •, • l 

i38. lor a debt, it came into possession ol James Gordon 
Heraldry Cobairdy, and is said to be now, or lately, in pos- 
A 2 , P page X 23 oI >1 ‘ session of Mrs. Alexander Gordon, daughter of the 
late Sir Ernest Gordon of Park and Cobairdy. For 
his gallant service on this occasion, Hucheon Calder 
got the lands of Assuanlie, in the Parish of Glass, 
from the Earl of Huntly, which continued in the 
family until last century, when an extravagant laird 
Antiquities of put an end to the family possessions. In the vear 

the Shires of 1 __ _ _ ^ 1 J 

Aberdeen and 1696, I find George Calder ol Assuanlie, and John 
page 183. Gordon of Cairnborrow, were commissioners for mak¬ 
ing up “the Boll of the Pollable Persons within 
“ the Parochin of Glass, lyand in Aberdeenshyre.” 
(See Poll Book of Aberdeenshire, volume 2d, page 
455). 


ALDROUGHTY. 


309 


XI.—ALDROUGHTY. 


1. The following service of John Sibbald, as heir to 
bis father, Robert Sibbald, is the oldest writing I 
have discovered relating to Aldroughty. It is called— 

Inquisitio Super Terris de Aldrochty (1393). 

HiEC Inquisitio facta est coram Domino Episcopo Moraviensi, 
apud villam molendini ejusdem juxta Elgyne, penultimo die men- 
sis Augusti, anno Domini millesimo tricentesimo nonagesimo 
tertio ; per reverendos, et discretos viros quorum nomina sunt hec: 
—Robertus de Cheshelme, miles dominus ejusdem; Johannes de 
Dolas, dominus ejusdem; Alexander de Innes, dominus ejusdem; 
Willelmus de Chisholme; Willelmus Hage; Willelmus Wyseman, 
senior ; Willelmus Wyseman, junior ; Reginaldus de Innerlochty ; 
Willelmus Vaws; Willelmus, filius Michaelis; Thomas de Pilmor; 
Thomas de Kirkton; Johannes Walker; Andreas Fawconer; Jo¬ 
hannes, filius Cristini, et Johannes, filius Willelmi; qui jurati 
magno juramento dicunt quod Robertus Sibald, pater quondam 
Johannis Sibald, obiit vestitus, et sasitus ut de feodo de terra de 
Aldrochty, cam pertinentiis, et quod dictus Johannes est legiti- 
mus, et propinquior hseres dicti quondam Roberti patris sui de 
eadem terra, sed non est legitimse setatis, ymmo infra annum ter- 
tium, et quod dicta terra valet per annum de antique extento, 
xl. solidos, hiis autem diebus xx. solidos, et quod tenet urin capite 
de Episcopo, et ecclesia Moraviensi, solvendo annuatim Domino 
Episcopo Moraviensi sex solidos, et octo denarios ad terminos Pen- 
tecostes, et Sancti Martini, in hyeme per equales portiones, et 
inveniendo singulis annis tantum ter carucam suam, et ter in anno 


Regi strum 
Moraviense, 
page 205. 



310 


NOTES. 


hericiam suam, et ter carrum suum, et semel in Autumpno sex 
bene metentes, et faciendo forinsecum servitium pertinens ad 
dimidiam davatam terrae, et sequendo molendinum dicti Domini 
Episcopi, et quod dicta terra debet praedicto domino Episcopo 

wardam, et relivium.evidentias que ad-huc osten- 

duntur, et quod in nullo deliquit erga dominum Episcopum vel 
Ecclesiam Moraviensem propter quod bereditatem suam de jure 
recuperare non debeat. In cujus rei testimonium sigillum . 

de Urchard, tunc ballivi dicti domini Episcopi Moravien- 
sis, unacum sigillis domini Roberti de Chishelme; Johannis de 
Doles; Alexandri de Innes; Reginaldi de Innerlochty ; Willielmi 
Yaus; Willelmi, fillii Michaelis; qui dictae inquisitioni facte in- 
terfuerunt huic presenti scripto est appensum loco, die mense, et 
anno quibus supra. 


2. William Sutherland of Roscommon, third son 
of James Lord Duffus, married Helen Duff, eldest 
daughter of William Duff of Dipple, in 1702. In 
the years 1710, 1711, and 1714, he had granted 
considerable securities over Aldroughty and other 
lands to his father-in-law, and in 1715 he joined the 
Rebellion for restoring the Royal House of Stuart. 
Dipple himself was well inclined to the Stuart cause, 
as were his father and grandfather; but, with cha¬ 
racteristic prudence, he would not risk his estates 
and fortune in the cause, and, like a wise man, staid 
at home. His son-in-law, William Sutherland, was 
forfeited and ruined, as a matter of course, and 
Dipple, in the year 1717, brought forward his claims 
before the Commissioners for the forfeited estates. 
The inventory of writs then produced I give on the 
next page— 



ALDROUGHTY. 


311 


Inventar of the interest and writtes produced for William Duff 
of Diple, in the proces of forthcoming Ld. Harcourt, master, and 
his Factor, agt. The Lord Duffus, Sutherland of Roscommon, his 
Brother, &c. 

1. Princl. Heretable Bond, Mr. William Sutherland of Ros¬ 
common, to William Duff of Diple, over the lands of Aldroghty, 
for £1800. Dated 19th January, 1710. 

2. Item, Instrumt of seasine following thereon, under the sign 
and subscription of James Anderson, Nottar Publick, dated the 
9th day of July, 1712 ; registrat in the particular register of 
seasines, within the Shyres of Elgin and Nairn, upon the 10th 
July, 1712. 

3. Item, Hrere 11 - Bond of relief, be Roscommon to Diple, for 
5300 merks. Dated 10th May, 1711. 

4. Item, Instrument of seasine following thereon, under the 
sign and subscription of James Anderson, Nottar Publick, dated 
the 9th July, 1712; regra tt; - in the partiar. register of seasines, 
within the Shyres of Elgin and Nairn, 12th July, 1712. 

5. Item, Princ 11 - hrere 11 - bond be Roscommon to Diple, on the 
lands of Auldroghty and Mosstowie, for <£14,000 Scots, dated 8th 
January, 1714. 

6 & 7. Item, Two instruments of seasine following therupon, 
under the sign and subscription of James Anderson, Nottar Pub¬ 
lick. The one of the saids seasines on the lands of Auldroghty, 
the other on the lands of Mosstowie, Greens, and Muirs thereof, 
both dated 15th Janry., 1714, and regrat in the particular register 
of seasines, within the Shyres of Elgin and Nairn, upon the 16th 
January, 1714. 


After much legal proceedings, Duff of Dipple 
eventually acquired both Estates of Aldroughty and 
Mosstowie, which his descendants hold to this day. 
Whether he paid to the Crown any sum beyond the 
securities he held, I have no access to procure infor¬ 
mation. 


312 


NOTES. 


XII.—PALACE OF SPYNIE AND BISHOPS. 

Any account of the Parish of Spynie would be quite 
incomplete without full lists of the Bishops of the 
Diocese. These have been given both by Shaw and 
by the learned Editor of the Chartulary of Moray; 
but I feel rather inclined to give an account of them 
from the catalogue of Bishop Keith, which is more 
full than any other, and had the advantage of being 
revised by a very competent and able hand—I mean 
William King of Newmill, Sherrff-Depute of the 
Shire of Elgin, who, in his early days, was a strict 
Episcopalian, although latterly he became a Presby¬ 
terian, finding that Episcopacy in his time was tan¬ 
tamount to being a Jacobite. Bobert Keith, the 
Bishop, was born on the 7th February, 1681, and 
was the son of Alexander Keith of Uras, in the 
Shire of Kincardine, by his wife, Margaret Arbuth- 
not. His father died when he was a child, and his 
mother removed to Aberdeen for the education of 
her family. He was instructed in the highest school 
of Episcopacy, and in the divine right of Kings. 
Being nearly connected to the Earl Marischal’s 
family,* he was appointed, in 1703, tutor to George 
Lord Keith, and his brother James, afterwards the 
famous Marshal Keith, and instilled into them those 

* The Keiths of Uras were the nearest cadets of the Marischal 
family. 



PALACE OF SPYNIE, &C. 


313 


principles of attachment to the House of Stuart 
which drove them into the Rebellion of 1715, and 
proved the utter ruin of the ancient family of Keith 
Marischal." For this he has much to answer. He 
continued tutor in this family up to 1710. In that 
year he was admitted to the order of Deacon, by 
Bishop Haliburton, of Aberdeen, and became Chap¬ 
lain to Charles Earl of Errol, with whom he travelled 
on the Continent. In 1713 he was admitted to 
Priest’s orders by the Bishop of Aberdeen, and con¬ 
secrated Bishop on 18th June, 1727, and had the 
superintendence of Caithness, Orkney, and the Isles. 
At the same time he had a congregation in Edin¬ 
burgh, where he had his principal residence until the 
end of his life. In 1733 he (in addition to his other 
duties) was appointed to take the superintendence 
episcopally of the district of Fife, which he resigned 
in 1743 ; and on the death of Bishop Rattray of 
Edinburgh that year, he was elected Primus. He 
took a considerable share in the unseemly controver¬ 
sies of that time, which threatened to rend the small 
Episcopal Church of Scotland in pieces, and did bring 
it to the verge of ruin. In 1752 he left his resi¬ 
dence in the Canongate, Edinburgh, and fixed his 
abode on a small property called Bonnyhaugh, near 
Leith, where he died, on the 20th January, 1757, in 
the seventy-sixth year of his age, and was interred 
in the Canongate Churchyard, where a plain tomb¬ 
stone was erected to his memory. Bishop Keith’s 

* It may be right to state that the mother of these young men 
was Lady Mary Drummond, eldest daughter of James Fourth Earl 
of Perth, who, being a Roman Catholic, had no doubt a share in 
driving her sons into the Rebellion. 


314 


NOTES. 


Keilh— 
Russell’s 
Edition—page 
135. 


principal works are—“ The History of the Affairs of 
“ Church and State in Scotland, from the beginning 
“ of the Reformation, in the reign of King James 
“ V., to the Retreat of Queen Mary into England;” 
and “ The Catalogue of the Scottish Bishops,” which 
was published in 1755, and is still very popular. It 
was dedicated to the famous James Marshal Keith, 
then in the military service of Frederick the Great 
of Prussia, and a copy transmitted to him at Berlin. 

In giving a list of the Bishops of the Diocese of 
Moray, I shall take Bishop Keith for my text, follow¬ 
ing him pretty closely, but making alterations and 
abbreviations when I consider it necessary— 

Bishops of the See of Moray . 


1. Gregory, Bishop of this See, is mentioned in the reign of 
King Alexander I., as witness in a charter to the Priory of Scone, 
and in the time of King David I. he is also mentioned as witness 
to his charter to the Abbey of Dunfermline. 

2. William was Bishop in the time of King David I., also 
under King Malcolm IV.; and, in the time of Pope Adrian IV., 
he went to Rome to complain of the usurpation of the Bishop of 
York over Scotland, and returned as Legate from the Pope. He 
died the 9th of the Kalends of February, 1162. 

3. Felix is a witness in a charter by King William, between 
the } T ears 1162 and 1171. 

4. Simeon de Tonei became Bishop in the year 1171. He 
was a Monk of Melrose, and before that had been Abbot at Cog's- 
hall, in the County of Essex, in England, of which kingdom he 
had probably been a native, as there were some of that name who 
came over with William the Conqueror. He was contemporary 
with Simeon, Matthew, Andrew, and Gregory, Bishops of Dun¬ 
blane, Aberdeen, Caithness, and Ross, in the time of King William, 
and a co-witness with Robert de Quincey and Philip de Valoniis. 




PALACE OF SPYNIE, &C. 


315 


He died anno 1184, and was buried in the Church of Bimie, then 
the Cathedral of the Diocese.* 

5. Richard, one of King William’s Clerici, was elected next 
Bishop, and was consecrated the Ides of March, 1187, at St. 

Andrew’s, by Hugo, Bishop there. He was contemporary with 
Joceline, Hugo, Turpin, Andrew, Bishops of Glasgow, Dunkeld, 

Brechin, and Caithness, and with Matthew, Bishop of Aberdeen, 
and also in the time of William elect of Glasgow, Chancellor to 
the King, and of John elect of Aberdeen. He is witness to King 
William’s confirmation of a donation to the Abbey of Kinloss, and 
a co-witness to each is H. Cancellarius, between the years 1189 
and 1199. During this Bishop’s time the King was very benefi¬ 
cent to this see. He ordered all revenues granted by his ancestors 
to be punctually paid, and made over to the Bishoprick a toft in 
the towns of Kintore, Banff, Cullen, Elgin, Nairn, and Inverness; 
also the teinds of all the King’s rents, ordinary and extraordinary, 
within the Diocese of Moray, which had not formerly been set 
apart for the church there. He died at Spynie, in the year 1203, 
where he was buried. 

6. Brice or Bricius, a son of the family of Douglas, Prior of 
Lesmahagow, which was a cell in Clydesdale, belonging to the 
Abbey of Kelso. His mother was sister to Friskinus de Kerdal, 
on the River Spey, as appears by a charter of the Church of 
Deveth, granted by Bricius for supporting the fabric of the Church 
of Spynie, then the Cathedral—“ ad instantiam et petitionem 
“ Friskini de Kerdal, avunculi nostri.” He was the first who, by 
application to Pope Innocent III., got the Cathedral fixed at 
Spynie. He founded the College of Canons, eight in number. 

He w r ent to Rome to a Council, in 1215, as appears by a safe con- Rotuli Scotise. 
duct from the King of England. He had four brothers, viz.: — 

Henry, Alexander, Archibald, and Hugo de Douglas. The Bishop 

was the first great man of the house of Douglas, and seems to 

have been a person of high talent. He died in the year 1222, Mr. King’s MS. 

and was buried at Spynie. 

7. Andrew de Moravia or Moray, a son of the family of 
Duffus, succeeded. The exact year of his consecration is not 

* Shaw mentions Andrew as Bishop here in 1184-85, but I don’t find his name in 
any other authority. 


316 


NOTES. 


known. It was probably 1223. He laid the foundation of the 
magnificent Church at Elgin, on the banks of the Lossie, dedi¬ 
cated to the Holy Trinity, and ordained to be the Cathedral 
Church of Moray for ever. The solemnity was performed on the 
15th (or, as some say, the 19th) July, 1224, by the Bishop of 
Caithness and Dean of Ross, by authority of Pope Honorius III. 
To the eight canons established by Bishop Bricius he added four¬ 
teen more; and having, with great prudence and piety, exercised 
his Episcopal duties for nearly twenty years, he died in the year 
1242, and his remains were interred in the south side of the Quire 
Mr. King’s MS. of the Cathedral, under a large blue stone, which still remains 
entire, although the brass work on it has been removed. 

8. Simon, who had previously been Dean from 1232 to 1242, 
was chosen Bishop, and continued in office for nine years. He 
died anno 1253, and was interred in the Quire of the Cathedral. 

9. Archibald, Dean of Moray, was consecrated Bishop thereof 
in the year 1253. He built the Palace of Kinneddar, where he 
mostly resided. During his incumbency William Earl of Ross 
committed an outrage in the Church of Petty, and, as an atone¬ 
ment for his crime, he gave to the Church of Moray the lands of 
Cadboll, and other lands in the Shire of Ross. He died the 5th 

* of the Ides of December, 1298, and was buried in the Quire of 
the Cathedral. 

10. David Moray was consecrated Bishop of this see at Avig¬ 
non, in the time of Pope Boniface VIII., on the vigil of the 
Apostles Peter and Paul, 1299. He founded the Scots College at 
Paris, 1325, which foundation was confirmed by Charles le Bel, 
King of France, in August, 1326. This Bishop was a determined 
opponent of Edward I. of England, and an ardent supporter of 
King Robert Bruce. He died 20th January, 1326, and was buried 
in the Quire of the Cathedral. 

11. John Pilmore, son of Adam Pilmore, Burgess of Dundee, 
was consecrated by the hands of Pope John XXII. He finished 
the Scots College at Paris, begun by his predecessor, which always 
continued to be administered by the Bishops of Moray until the 
Reformation. He was Bishop for thirty-seven years, and died in 
the Castle of Spynie, on the vigil of St. Michael the Archangel, 
1362. 


PALACE OF SPYNIE, &C. 


317 


12. Alexander Bar, Decretorum Doctor, et Licentiatus in 
Legibus, was consecrated at Avignon, on the Saturday before 
Christmas, 1362, by Pope Urban V. He is witness to several 
charters in the reign of King Robert II. He was much harrassed 
by Alexander Earl of Buchan, the King’s son, commonly called 
the “Wolfe of Badenoch,” who, in June, 1390, burnt the Cathe¬ 
dral Church, part of the town of Elgin, the Hospital of Maisondieu, 
St. Giles’ Church, and eighteen manses, for which he was excom¬ 
municated. He afterwards, on his repentance, and making amends 
to the Church, was absolved by the Bishop of St. Andrew’s. 
Bishop Bar died 15th May, 1397, and was interred in the Quire of 
the Cathedral. 

13. William Spynie, Chantor of Moray, and Decretorum 
Doctor, was consecrated Bishop by Pope Benedict XIII., on 16th 
September, 1397. He died in the Chanonry, 2d August, 1406, 
and was buried in the Quire of the Cathedral. 

14. John Innes, Parson of Duffus, and Bachelor of Laws, was 
consecrated by Pope Benedict XIII. 23d January, 1407. He died 
25th April, 1414, and was buried at the foot of the north-west 
pillar which supported the great steeple. The monument erected 
to his memory, and the inscription on it, are gone, but the latter 
is preserved in Monteith’s Theatre of Mortality, published in 
1704, and is as follows :—“Hie jacet Reverendus in Christo Pater, 
“ D.D., Joannes de Innes, hujus ecclesise quondam Episcopus 
“ Moraviensis, qui hoc notabile opus extruxit, et per septennium 
“ Episcopale munus tenuit.” Before electing a successor to Bishop 
Innes, the Chapter met, and solemnly swore that whoever should 
be elected should set apart one-third of the revenue of the see for 
repairing the Cathedral destroyed by the Wolfe of Badenoch in 
Bishop Bar’s time. 

15. Henry Leighton, Parson of Duffus, and Chantor of 
Moray, of the family of Usan, in the County of Forfar, was con¬ 
secrated on 8th March, 1415. He was translated to the see of 
Aberdeen 1425, and died there about the year 1441. 

16. David was Bishop of Moray in the year 1429. 

17. Columba Dunbar, descended of the Earls of Moray, was 
Dean of the Church of Dunbar, and Bishop of Moray, 17th 
January, 1430. He had a safe conduct from the King of England 


Monteith’s 
Theatre of 
Mortality, 
page 251. 


318 


NOTES. 


Rymer’sFsedera to pass through his dominions, with a retinue of thirty servants, 
Spottiswood. wa y j^ ome? j n 1433 . a j s0) another, dated 10th May, 

1434, to go through England to the Council of Basil. On his re¬ 
turn home, he died in the Castle of Spynie, and was buried in the 
Aisle of St. Thomas the Martyr. 

18. John Winchester, an Englishman, came to Scotland with 
King James I. ; was chaplain to the King, and Prebendary of 
Dunkeld; afterwards Provost of Lincluden, and Lord Register. 
He was consecrated Bishop of Moray in 1437. He was employed 
in various embassies into England during the minority of King 
James II. In his time the town of Spynie was erected into a 
Burgh of Barony. He died in the year 1458, and was interred 
in St. Mary's Aisle, within the Cathedral. 

18. James Stewart, of the family of Lorn, was first Dean of 
this see, afterwards Lord Treasurer, and, upon the death of Bishop 
Winchester, was advanced to the Bishoprick. He only lived two 
years, and was buried in St. Peter's and St. Paul's Aisle, on the 
north side of the Cathedral. 

19. David Stewart, brother of the preceding Bishop, and par¬ 
son of Spynie, was, according to Mr. King's MS., Bishop of Moray 
in 1461. He erected the great tower of the Castle of Spynie, 
which is still called by his name. He was much troubled by 
Alexander Earl of Huntly, who refused to pay the feu-duties due 
to the Bishoprick for lands in Strathbogie, and also threatened 
violence to the Bishop. The Earl was excommunicated; but at 
length matters were made up by mediation of the Abbot of Kin- 
loss and Prior of Pluscarden. This Bishop was a prudent and 
judicious man, and governed the diocese for fourteen years. He 
was buried in St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Aisle of the Cathedral, 
beside his brother. 

20. William Tulloch, formerly Bishop of Orkney, and keeper 
of the Privy Seal, was translated to the see of Moray, in the 
year 1477. He was Bishop here for five years, and died about the 
year 1482. He was buried in St. Mary's Aisle, in the Elgin 
Cathedral.* 


* In Bishop Tulloch’s time, the old family of Tulloch of Tannachy settled in the 
Parish of Forres, and continued to flourish up to the latter part of last century. 


PALACE OF SPYNIE, &C. 


319 


21 . Andrew Stewart, third son of Sir James Stewart, called 
the Black Knight of Lorn, by Jane Queen-Dowager of Scotland, 
widow of King James I., succeeded in 1482. He was previously 
Sub-Dean of Glasgow; Rector of Monkland; also, Provost of 
Lincluden. In a charter of confirmation, by King James III., in 
his favour, he is called—“ Nostrum avunculum Andream Episco- 
“ pum Moraviensem.” He died in 1501, and was interred in the 
Quire of the Cathedral. 

22. Andrew Forman, son of the Laird of Huttoun, in Berwick¬ 
shire, was promoted to this see in 1501. Shortly after his settlement, 
he and Robert Archbishop of Glasgow, and Patrick Earl of Botlr 
well, were sent to England, to treat for a marriage between King 
James IV. and Margaret, eldest daughter of King Henry VII. In 
1510 he was again sent on an embassy to England. In 1514 he 
was translated to the Archbishoprick of St. Andrew’s. He died 
in 1522, and was buried at Dunfermline. He was a man of great 
talents, and one of the ablest politicians of his time, but is said to 
have been very deficient in literature.* 

23. James Hepburn, third son of Adam Lord Hales, and 
brother to Patrick first Earl of Bothwell, had been previously 
Rector of Partoun, afterwards Abbot of Dunfermline, and Lord 
Treasurer. In 1516 he became Bishop of Moray, and resigned 
the office of Treasurer. He died in the year 1524, and was buried 
in St. Mary’s Aisle, near the Earl of Huntly’s tomb. 

24. Robert Sohaw, a son of the Laird of Sauchie, in the 
Shire of Stirling, was elected Abbot of Paisley, 1498, and advanced 
to the see of Moray, 1524. During his incumbency he was an 
ambassador to England. He bears the character of having been 
a good and virtuous man. He died in 1527, and is buried near 
the sepulchre of Bishop Andrew Stewart. 

25. Alexander Stewart, son of Alexander Duke of Albany, 
by Katharine Sinclair, daughter of William Earl of Orkney and 
Caithness, succeeded. He was first Prior of Whithorn, then 


Mr. King’s 
MS., quoted, 
by Bishop 
Keith. 


* There is a story told of Andrew Forman, Bishop of Moray, that being at Rome, 
and at the Pope’s table, with many other prelates and great men, he was asked to 
say grace, which was always in Latin, but in which he was so deficient, or so unac¬ 
customed to say grace, that he stuck in the middle of it, which created a great laugh 
against him. As a politician and man of business, he had few equals. 


320 


NOTES. 


Abbot of Inchaffray, and Abbot of Scone; became Bishop of 
Moray in 1527. He died in 1534, and is said to have been buried 
in the Monastery at Scone. 

26. Patrick Hepburn, son to Patrick first Earl of Bothwell, 
was educated by his uncle, John Prior of St. Andrew’s, and suc¬ 
ceeded him in that Priory, 1522. He was advanced to be Bishop 
of Moray in 1535, and at same time held the Abbey of Scone in 
perpetual commendam. He was a man of talents, but of un¬ 
scrupulous and licentious habits. It was an immoral age. Not¬ 
withstanding his vow of celibacy, he formed a morganatic connec¬ 
tion with a daughter of Cumming of Erneside, a family of 
considerable standing in the County of Elgin, and had a large 
family. Noting the signs of the times, and the approach of the 
Reformation, he feued out almost the whole lands of the Bishop- 
rick, which he had found in good order, to his own friends and 
supporters, including his own family. Some of the best lands he 
granted to the Earl of Moray, and received in return the support 
of that powerful nobleman, then Regent of Scotland. After the 
Reformation, he continued to live in the Castle of Spynie, where 
he died, the 20th June, 1573. He was the last Popish Bishop of 
Moray. Many of his descendants still reside in the North of 
Scotland. 


Protestant Bishops. 


1. George Douglas, natural son of Archibald Earl of Angus, 
became Bishop, and was consecrated 1573. He was Bishop of 

Mr. King’s MS. Moray sixteen years, and died about the year 1589 or 1590, and 
was buried in the Church of Holyrood House. After his death 
the remaining lands of the Bishoprick were erected into a temporal 
lordship, in the person of Alexander Lord Spynie, and so continued 
until 1506, when Episcopacy was again restored. 

2. Alexander Douglas was Minister of Elgin about seven¬ 
teen years, and was promoted to the see of Moray in 1606. He 
died at Elgin in 1623, and was buried in the south aisle of the 


PALACE OF SPYNIE, &C. 


321 


Church of St. Giles, in a vault built by his widow, who likewise 
erected a handsome monument to his memory in that church.* 

3. John Guthrie was first minister at Perth, and afterwards 
at Edinburgh; was consecrated Bishop of Moray 1623, where he 
continued until deposed by the Glasgow Assembly, in 1638. He 
lived in the Castle of Spynie until 1640, which he fortified; but 
was obliged to surrender it to Colonel Munro that year. He then 
retired to his own Estate of Guthrie, in Forfarshire, where he 
died before the restoration of the house of Stuart. 

4. Murdoch Mackenzie was descended from a younger son of 
the Laird of Gairloch. Is said to have been born in the year 
1600, some authorities give an earlier date; was a chaplain in one 
of the regiments of Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden; after¬ 
wards Minister of the Parish of Contin; then of Inverness, and 
afterwards of Elgin. He was a keen Presbyterian, and an ardent 
supporter of the Covenant; but when the restoration came, and 
he was offered the Bishoprick of Moray, he made no scruples about 
accepting it. He became Bishop of the See of Moray on 18th 
January, 1662, and was translated to Orkney in 1667. He died 
at Kirkwall, in February or March, 1688. According to Bishop 
Keith, he was, at the time of his death, in the 88th year of his 
age; but Dr. Barry, in his history of Orkney, states that he was 
in his 100th year. The probability is that Bishop Keith is the 
more accurate of the two.t 


* When the Church of St. Giles was removed, in 1828, Bishop Douglas’ monument 
was taken to the Elgin Cathedral, and is now built into the enclosing wall, on the B. M. A. D. 

north side of the churchyard, where it makes an imposing appearance. The inscrip- P>23. 
tion on it is as follows:—“Hie dormit in domino Reverendus in Christo, pater M. isThysting^ 
“ Alexander Douglas, Prsesul vigilantissimus quia summa cum laude huic urbi pas- O grave, quhar 
“tor, totique Mora vise Episcopus profuit, et prsefuit 41 annos. Obiit setatis suse thy victorie ? 
“ anno 62, et Christi 1623, Maii 11. Relictis Alexandro, et Maria liberis, uxoreque 
“ gravida femina non minus vere religiosa, quam generosa, cujus sumptibus hoc 
“ mausoleum structum est. 

“ Semper vigila ut si nescias quando veniet, paratum te inveniat, beati morientes 
“ in Domino, haec corruptia induet incorruptionem.” 

t Various stories are told of Bishop Murdoch Mackenzie. When he accepted 
office as Bishop, it is said he assembled his clergy, informed them of his appoint¬ 
ment, and preached a sermon from Jeremiah, vi. 16—“ Stand ye in the ways, and see 
“ and ask for the old paths, where is the good way , and wilk therein , and ye shall find 
“ rest for your souls,” meaning that Episcopacy was the good way. His arguments 
appear to have been convincing, for few or none of them had the hardihood to make 
the reply, stated by the prophet, in the same verse—“We will not walk therein.” 


U 



322 


NOTES. 


5. James Aitkens or Aiken, son of Henry Aiken, Sheriff and 
Commissary of Orkney, was born at Kirkwall, and educated in 
Edinburgh; was chaplain to the Marquis of Hamilton, when 
Commissioner to the famous General Assembly of 1638; was 
afterwards Minister at Birsay, in Orkney. Having had some com¬ 
munication with the Marquis of Montrose, at the time that noble¬ 
man landed in Orkney, and a warrant having been issued for 
apprehending him, he fled to Holland. In 1653 he returned to 
Scotland, and lived in Edinburgh until the Restoration, when he 
was appointed by the Bishop of Winchester to a living in Dorset¬ 
shire, where he remained until 1677, when he obtained the See of 
Moray. He was reckoned a pious, respectable, and moderate pre¬ 
late, and kept his diocese in peace. He was translated to the 
Bishoprick of Galloway in 1680, but had little pleasure there in 
these stormy times. He died at Edinburgh, 28th October, 1687, 
aged seventy-four years, and was buried in the Church of the 
Grey friars there. Upon his coffin was affixed this epitaph— 


“ Maximus Atkinsi, pietate, et maximus annis, 
“ Ante diem, invita religione, cadis 
“ Ni caderes nostris inferret forsitan oris, 

“ Haud impune suos Roma superba deos.” 


6. Colin Falconer was the only son of William Falconer of 
Down duff, and Beatrix Dunbar, his wife, a daughter of Dunbar of 
Bogs. His father was fourth son of Alexander Falconer of Hal- 
kertoun (ancestor of the Earl of Kintore), and Elizabeth Douglas, 
daughter of Sir Archibald Douglas of Glenbervie. Colin Falconer 
was born in the year 1623, and studied at the University of St. 
Andrew’s. He married, 24th July, 1648, a daughter of Rose of 
Clava. He was ordained Minister of the Parish of Essel in 1651, 
and translated to Forres in 1658, where he remained twenty-one 
years. He was promoted to the Bishoprick of Argyle on 5th Sep- 

When translated to Orkney, a friend said to him he was going to eat a fat goose, the 
benefice of the See of Orkney being then one of the best in Scotland. The Bishop 
replied—“A goose is all the better of being a fat one.” Dr. Barry states of him as 
Barry’s History follows:—“ His exemplary piety, meekness of spirit, gentleness of manners, pru- 
^^rkney, «« dence, moderation, benevolence, and charity, procured him the esteem and aflfec- 
“ tion of the people within his charge.” There is a very beautiful carved stone, 
containing the initials and armorial bearings of Bishop Mackenzie, near the high 
altar of the Elgin Cathedral. 


PALACE OF SPYNIE, &C. 


323 


tember, 1679, and in February, 1680, became Bishop of Moray. 

He was the most popular of all the Bishops of Moray. Being a 

native of the county, he knew the habits of the people well, and 

was a promoter of peace, and a ready arbiter in all disputes. 

Bishop Keith truly says—“ He was a hospitable, pious, and peace- Keith— 

KussbII's 

“ able prelate ; being remarkably happy in reconciling differences, edition—r. 154. 

“ and in removing discords and animosities among the gentlemen 

“ of his diocese.” He died at the Castle of Spynie, 11th Novem- 

ver, 1686, in the sixty-third year of his age, and was the last 

Bishop who lived there. His body was deposited in the south 

aisle of St. Giles’ Church, in Elgin, at the bottom of the tower or 

steeple, towards the east. His funeral was largely attended, and 

his death much regretted. The author of the Old Statistical 

Account of the Parish of Spynie quaintly remarks, “ that the Old statistical 

rj 1 J Account, 

“ whole country, gentle and semple, attended his funeral. When vol. 10, p. 628. 
the old Church of Elgin was removed, in 1828, the ashes of 
Bishop Falconer, like many others, both high and low, were 
scattered to the winds. In the year 1812, the late Sir Hugh 
Innes of Lochalsh and Coxton, a descendant of Bishop Falconer, 
erected a tablet to his memory, of white marble, on the wall of 
the Chapter-House of the Elgin Cathedral, with the following 
inscription :— 

“ Sacred to the memory of Colin Falconer, son of William Falconer of Downduff, 

“ and Beatrix Dunbar, who was the daughter of J. Dunbar of Bogs, in the County 
“ of Moray, and grandson of Alexander Falconer of Halkerton, and Elizabeth, 

“ daughter of Sir Archibald Douglas of Glenbervie. He was born in the year 1623, 

“ and was married, in 1648, to a daughter of Rose of Clava. He was elected to the 
“ See of Argyle 1679, and in 1680 he was consecrated Bishop of Moray. He died 11 
“ November, 1686, and was buried in the Aisle of St. Giles’ Church of Elgin. 

“This monument was erected by Hugh Innes, Esquire of Lochalsh, M.P. for the 
“ County of Ross, anno 1812, his g. g. grandson.” 

7. Alexander Rose, descended from the family of Kilravock ; 
studied divinity at Glasgow, under Dr. Gilbert Burnet, afterwards 
the famous Bishop of Salisbury. He was Minister at Perth, and 
afterwards Professor of Divinity at Glasgow. In 1686 he was 
appointed Principal of St. Mary’s College, St. Andrew’s. On 8th 
March, 1687, a royal mandate was issued for consecrating him 
Bishop of Moray; but he never seems to have taken possession, 
and the same year was translated to the See of Edinburgh. He 

u 2 


324 


NOTES. 


outlived the Revolution nearly thirty-two years; and died at his 
sister’s house, in the Canongate of Edinburgh, 20th March, 1720. 

Keith,p.65. Bishop Keith states—“He was a sweet-natured man, and of a 
“ venerable aspect.” He farther adds that he was one of his 
presbyters in the City of Edinburgh, from Pentecost, anno 1713. 
He was the last survivor of all the Scotch Established Bishops. 

8 . William Hay, of the family of Park, was born 17th Feb¬ 
ruary, 1647. He was educated at Aberdeen, and ordained by 
Bishop Scougal. He was first Minister at Kilconquhar, in Fife, 
and was made a Doctor of Divinity by Archbishop Sharp. From 
Kilconquhar he was removed to Perth, and was consecrated Bishop 
of Moray in the early part of the year 1688. The Revolution, 
which occurred the same year, expelled him from his diocese, and 
he died at his son-in-law’s house at Castlehill, near Inverness, on the 
17th March, 1707. 


The Disestablishment Bishops. 

These had no connection with the Parish of 
Spynie, and never lived there; but as their history 
is but little known, I shall state it briefly. 

Bishop Russell, 1. From the death of Bishop Hay, in 1707, there was no 
Bishop here until 1727, when William Dunbar, who had been 
^Church b Minister at Cruden, in Aberdeenshire, and deprived at the Revo- 
I pages i b : 93°697 2, lution, for not taking the oaths to William and Mary, the new 
Sovereigns, was chosen by the Episcopal Clergy of Moray to be 
their Bishop, and he was consecrated at Edinburgh, on the 18th 
June, 1727, by Bishops Gadderar, Millar, and Rattray. He was 
first appointed to the district of Moray and Ross, and afterwards, 
on the death of Bishop Gadderar,* to that of Aberdeen, where 
he died, in the year 1746. 

* James Gadderar, the predecessor of Bishop Dunbar at Aberdeen, was born at 
Cowfords, in the Parish of Urquhart, and County of Moray, which appears to have 
belonged to his family. He was originally Minister at Kilmaurs, in the County of 
Ayr, where he had made himself obnoxious to the people by his very High Church 


PALACE OF SPYNIE, &C. 


325 


2. William Falconar is supposed to have been a great-grand¬ 
son of Colin Falconar, Bishop of Moray. He was son of Alex¬ 
ander Falconar, Merchant in Elgin, by his wife, Jean King, 


principles, and at the Revolution was rabbled out by the furious multitude. He 
retired to England, where he joined the nonjuring party, and was consecrated at 
London, on 24th February, 1712, by Bishop Hickes, a non juror, and by Bishops Fal¬ 
conar and Campbell, two Scotch Bishops. He lived in London, with Bishop Camp¬ 
bell, one of the Argyle family, and a person of congenial principles, till the year 
1724, at which time he became Bishop at Aberdeen. He was a man of great abilities 
and learning, but of an obstinate and determined spirit, and was the leader of the 
party in the Scotch Episcopal Church for the introduction of primitive usages, and 
the re-organisation of the Church—subjects which created the most acrimonious dis¬ 
putes, and rent the clergy in pieces. Bishop Gadderar, however, succeeded in his 
plans, and although this is not the place to enter on the subject, it may be permitted 
to me to state that perhaps no person has left his impress more on the Scotch Episco¬ 
pal Church than he has done. He died in February, 1733. His brother, Alexander 
Gadderar, was Minister at Girvan, in the County of Ayr, and settled there in the 
year 1674. Like his brother, the Bishop, he was a very High Churchman, and being 
in a part of the country where the population was composed mostly of Covenanters, 
he made himself so disagreeable that an attempt was made on his life, shortly after 
his settlement, when going to preach, of which he complained to the Privy Council. 
He was rabbled out by the people in 1689, and retired to his native County of Moray, 
where he lived privately, and is said to have followed farming pursuits for a liveli¬ 
hood. He was twice married ; first, to Elizabeth L’Amy, of the family of Dunkenny, 
in Angus; and second, to Anna Cook. His family, who were buried in the Elgin 
Cathedral, seem to have died before him, except one son, John, who was a Surgeon 
in London. Mr. Gadderar died in the year 1714, at the age of seventy-one, and was 
buried in Urquhart, his native parish, where a monument was erected to his memory, 
which still exists, and the inscription is said to have been composed by his brother, 
Bishop Gadderar, and is as follows :— 

“In spem B. Resurrectionis. Hie requiescit vir Reverendus et eruditus, Mr. 
“ Alex. Gadderar, Paraeciae Girvan, qui prefuit ad annum, 1688, ecclesiae et regno 
“ Scotiae Antiquis faustum, in Diaecesi Glascuensi. Pastor canonice ordinatus, 
“ cum file una cum trecentis circiter aliis, sacris ordinibus regniq. legibus munitis, 
“ contra jura omnia divina humanaq. tumultuantibus in apostolicum ecclesiae regi- 
“ men conjuratis, gregem et reditum, vi armata amissere esset coactus. Tandem 
“ rediit in Comitatum hunc Moraviensem, natale solum ubi predicationi, Dei verbi, 
“ administration! S. Sacramentorum, necnon cultui Divino, ut obtinet in Ecclesia 
“ Anglicana seipsum feliciter Dedit. Propriis sumptibus, populo ut prodesset, S. 
“ ministerio fungebatur. Erat filius natu maximus Gulielmi Gadderar, vir inclytus 
“ probitatis, ex antiqua familia de Cowford, orti ex Margareta Marshall. Herede 
“ agrorum in ditione Urquhartensi ex avitis patribus sibi deveuientium. Supersunt 
“ illi ex lmo matrimonio cum Catherina L’Amy, filia antiquae familiae de Dun- 
“ kenny, in Angusia, filius uni genitus Joannes Gadderar, A.M., Londini Chirurgo 
“Medicus; et duse filiae, Anna et Isabella, ex 2do matrimonio cum Anna Cook, 
“ Moraviensi, susceptae. Obiit xxix. Quintil, anno Dominico Incarnationis mdccxiv. 
“ iEtatis suae 71.” 

“Beatus vir qui suffert tentationem, quoniam cum probatus fuerit, accipiet 
“ coronam vitae, quam repromisit Deus diligentibus se.—Jacobus i. 12.” 


See 

Stephen’s and 
Skinner’s 
Church 
Histories; 

Burton’s 
History 
of Scotland, 
from the 
Revolution to 
1748, 

vol. 2, pp. 349 
to 357, 
where the 
subject is ably 
treated; 

Lockhart 

Papers. 


Fasti Scoticanse 
Ecclesiae, 
vol. 2, page 117. 

Monteith’s 
Theatre of Mor¬ 
tality, Glasgow 
edition, p. 248. 


NOTES. 


326 

daughter of William King of Newmill, Provost of Elgin. He was 
Minister of an Episcopal Chapel at Forres, and in 1741 was con¬ 
secrated at Alloa, by Bishop Rattray, Bishop Keith, and Bishop 
White. He was the same year appointed to the charge of Caith¬ 
ness, and the following year to that of Moray. He was elected 
Primus in 1761, and was translated to Edinburgh in 1776, where 
he died in 1784. He bears the character of being a very judi¬ 
cious, sensible man, and conducted the affairs of his Church with 
great wisdom, in difficult times, when it was in a state of great 
depression.* 

3. Arthur Petrie was Minister of a Chapel at Meiklefolla, in 
Aberdeenshire, and was consecrated at Dundee, Bishop-Coadjutor 
of Moray, in the year 1776, by Bishops Falconar, Rait, Kilgour, 
and Rose. Next year he was appointed Bishop of Ross and Caith¬ 
ness, and in 1777 had the sole charge of Moray. He only lived 
ten or eleven years after his consecration, having died in 1787. 

4. Andrew Macfarlane, Presbyter at Inverness, was conse¬ 
crated at Peterhead, on 7th March, 1787, by Bishops Kilgour, 
Petrie, and Skinner. Bishop Petrie having died the following 
month, Mr. Macfarlane succeeded him as Bishop of Moray, as well 
as of Ross and Argyle, all which districts were united. He died 
in the year 1819. 

5. Alexander Jolly was Minister of a congregation at Fra¬ 
serburgh, where he officiated to the close of his long life. He was 
born 3d April, 1755. He was consecrated at Dundee, the 24th 
June, 1796, by Bishops Drummond, Macfarlane, and Strachan, 
and, on the resignation of Bishop Macfarlane, was appointed to 
the charge of Moray. He was a very learned, pious man; much 
venerated, and respected by all classes of the community. He 
died the 29th June, 1838. 

6. David Low, Presbyter at Pittenweem, was consecrated at 
Stirling, on 14th November, 1819, and elected as their Bishop by 
the clergy of Ross and Argyle. On the death of Bishop Jolly, in 
1838, he succeeded him in Moray. He died in the year 1850. 


* I have in my possession an original letter of Bishop Falconar, dated 7th Decem¬ 
ber, 1764, written on the occasion of the death of his uncle, William King of New¬ 
mill. 


PALACE OF SPYNIE, &C. 


327 


7. Robert Eden, third son of Sir Frederick Morton Eden, 
Baronet of Fruir, in the County of Durham, was born in London, 
2d September, 1804; educated at Westminster School, and at 
Christ Church, Oxford; ordained Deacon and Priest in 1828, in 
Gloucester Cathedral, by the Right Rev. Dr. Bethel, Bishop of 
Gloucester; held the curacy of Weston Subedge, in the Diocese of 
Gloucester, and the curacy of Messing and Peldon, in the County 
of Essex, and Diocese of London, until the year 1837, when he 
was presented to the living of Leigh, in the County of Essex, by 
Dr. Blomfield, Bishop of London, and at the same time was 
appointed Rural Dean. He held the living of Leigh till the year 
1852. He was consecrated Bishop of Moray and Ross in St. 
Paul’s Church, Edinburgh, in March, 1851, by Bishops Skinner, 
Terrot, Trower, and Ewing, and subsequently had Caithness added 
to his charge. It would be unbecoming to make remarks on a 
Bishop now alive, but we may be allowed to state that he has been 
very active and zealous in the discharge of his duties, and in pro¬ 
moting the interests of his Church, and most affable and agree¬ 
able with all persons brought into contact with him in business, or 
any other matter, whether they belong to his own Church or not; 
and, as a token of his great exertions, we may point to the new 
magnificent Cathedral at Inverness, which owes its existence 
entirely to Bishop Eden. He was elected Primus of the Scotch 
Episcopal Church in 1863. 


328 


NOTES. 


XIII.—REGALITY OF SPYNIE. 

The following is a copy of the charter of erection of 
Spynie into a Regality, dated 15th August, 1452:— 

1. Jacobus, Dei gracia, Rex Scotorum, omnibus probis homini- 
bus tocius terrse suae, clericis, et laicis, salutem. Sciatis nos ad lau- 
dem, et gloriam beatae Trinitatis exaltationem Ecclesiae Cathedralis 
Moraviensis, et ob grata obsequia per reverendum in Christo patrem 
Johannem Episcopum Moraviensem, consiliarium nostrum quon¬ 
dam genitori nostro recolende memorie per ipsum multipliciter 
impensa, et nobis fideliter continuata; nec non pro salute animae 
nostrae, et Marie Reginae, consortis nostrae, animabusque anteces- 
sorum, et successomm nostrorum; concessisse, et presentis cartae 
nostrae tenore concedimus dicto Reverendo in Christo, patri 
Johanni Episcopo Moraviensi, et successoribus suis Episcopis 
Ecclesiae Moraviensis, baroniam suam de Spynie, ac burgum de 
Spynie cum universis et singulis suis pertinentiis, dependentiis, et 
annexis in meram et liberam regalitatem seu regaliam. Tenen- 
dam, et habendam praefatam baroniam ac burgum predictum cum 
suis pertinentiis, dependentiis, et annexis, dicto Johanne Episcopo 
Moraviense, et sui ssuccessoribus Episcopis Ecclesiae Moraviensis, 
de nobis, et successoribus nostris in meram puram, et liberam re¬ 
galitatem, seu regaliam, in feodo et hereditate inperpetuum, cum 
universis commoditatibus, et proficuis dictis, Baroniae, et Burgo per- 
tinentibus; cum libera foresta et varenna, feodis et forisfacturis— 
custumis, et advocationibus Ecclesiarum; cum itineribus, et curiis 
justiciarie camerarie, et viecomitatus ac ipsorum itinerum, et 
curiarum predictarum finibus, amerciament is, exitibus, et eschaetis ; 
cum portubus et passagiis, ac cum omnibus aliis et singulis liber- 
tatibus, commoditatibus et asiamentis, ac justis pertinentiis suis 



REGALITY OF SPYNIE. 


329 


quibuscumque tam non nominatis, quam nominatis, ad regalitatem 
seu regaliam spectantibus, seu quovis modo juste spectare valenti- 
bus in futurum, et adeo libere, quiete, plenarie, integre, honorifice, 
bene et in pace, in omnibus, et per omnia sicut aliqua Regalitas 
seu regalia cuicunque ecclesise, aut personis ecclesiasticis quibus¬ 
cumque in regno nostro liberius, quietius, aut honorificentius, conce- 
ditur seu donatur. Reddendo inde annuatim nobis, heredibus, et 
successoribus nostris, dictus Johannes Episcopus Moraviensis, et 
sui successores Ecclesic© Moraviensis Episcopi, unam rosam rubeam 
ad festum nativitatis beati Johannis Baptiste, apud Burgum nos¬ 
trum de Invernes, nomine albe firme si petatur, et orationum 
sufFragia devotarum tantum pro sectis curiae ac omni alio onere 
exactione, questione, demanda, aut servitio seculari quae de dictis 
baronia, et burgo exegi poterint vel requiri. In cujus rei testi¬ 
monium presenti carte nostre magnum sigillum nostrum apponi 
precepimus. Testibus reverendis in Christo patribus—Jacobo et 
Willelmo, Sancti Andree, et Glasguensis ecclesiarum episcopis; 
carissimo consanguineo nostro Georgio Comite Angusie; Willelmo 
Domino Crychtoun, nostro cancellario et consanguineo predilecto; 
dilectis consanguineis nostris Willelmo Domino Somyrwele; Pat¬ 
ricio Domino Glamis; Andrea Domino de Gray; Magistris Jo- 
hanne Arrous Archidiacano Glasguensi, et Georgio de Schoriswod, 
Rectoro de Cultyr, clerico nostro. Apud Edinburgh decimo quinto 
die Mensis Augusti, anno Domini millesimo quadringentesimo quin- 
quagesimo secundo, et regni nostri decimo sexto. 

2. I have mentioned in the text that the Regality 
of Spynie eventually came into possession of the 
Dukes of Gordon, and was sold by Alexander Duke 
of Gordon, on 23d August, 1723, to Archibald Dun¬ 
bar of Thunderton. I have procured the original 
deed of conveyance, a copy of which is as follows :— 

Be it known to all men by these presents—Us, Alexander 
Duke of Gordon, Marquis of Huntly, &c., heretable proprietor of 
the jurisdiction aftermentioned— Forasmuchas Mr. Archibald Dun¬ 
bar of Thunderton has instantly paid and delivered to us, All and 


330 


NOTES. 


Haill the sum of two thousand merks Scots, as the full and true 
price agreed and condescended upon betwixt us, for the heretable 
and irredeemable right of the jurisdiction after specified, where¬ 
with we hold us well contented, satisfied, and payed, and for us, 
our heirs, and ex’ors, exoner and discharge the said Mr. Archibald 
Dunbar, his heirs, ex’ors, and all others whom it effeirs, of the 
samen, renouncing the exception of not numerate money, and all 
other exceptions and objections of the law proponeable to the con¬ 
trail', for now and ever:— Therefor, witt ye us to have sold, 
annalzied, and disponed, likeas we by these presents sell, annalzie, 
and dispone to, and in favours of the said Mr. Archibald Dunbar, 
his heirs, and assignees whatsoever, heretably and irredeemably, 
All and Haill the heritable Jurisdiction and office of Balliarie of 
the Regality of Spynie, with haill pertinents, privileges, and im- 
munitys thereto belonging; Together with all right, title, interest, 
claim of right, property, and possession, as well petitor as posses¬ 
sor whatsoever, whilks we, our predecessors, and authors, heirs, 
and suffers had, have, or anywayes may have, claim, or pretend 
thereto. And we bind and oblige us, our heirs, and successors, 
duely and sufficiently, to infeft and seise the said Mr. Archibald 
- Dunbar, and his fors’ds, heretably and irredeemably, in the forsd. 
heretable Jurisdiction, and office of Balliary of the Regality of 
Spynie, and that by two severall infeftments and manners of hold¬ 
ing, the one thereof to be holden of us, and our fors’ds, for pay¬ 
ment of a penny Scots money yearly, att the term of Whitsunday, 
in name of Blanch farm, if the same beis asked allenarly, and the 
other of the saids infeftments to be halden from us, and our fors’ds 
of our immediat lawfull superiors thereof, sicklike, and as freely 
in all respects as we held, or may hold, the same ourselves; and 
that, either by resignation or confirmation, in the said Mr. Archi¬ 
bald Dunbar, his option (the anoptation of the one to be nowayes 
prejudiciall to the other), And for that effect to make, grant, sub¬ 
scribe, and deliver to the said Mr. Archibald Dunbar, and his for- 
saids, sufficient dispositions, containing pro’ries of resignation, 
charters containing precepts of sasine, and all other securitys re¬ 
quisite and necessary thereanent for infefting him and his fors’ds 
thereuntill, and for the better obtaining of the fors’d infeftment by 
resignation, but prejudice of the other infeftment above wTitten, 


REGALITY OF SPYNIE. 


331 


We, by thir presents, make, constitute, and ordain. 

.and ilk ane of them, con’llie and se’allie, 

our very lawful, undoubted, and irrevockable pro’rs, actors, factors, 
commissioners, and speciall eirand bearers to the effect under¬ 
written, giving, granting, and committing to them, and ilk one of 
them, con’llie and sea’llie, as said is, our very full, free, plain 
power, express bidding, mandate, and charge, for us, in our name, 
and upon our behalf, to compear before our immediat lawfull 
superiors of the said Jurisdiction and office of Balliarie, and their 
Commissioners in their name, having their power and commission 
to receive Resignations, and thereupon to grant new infeftments, 
and that any day lawfull and convenient, and there with all rever¬ 
ence and humility, as becoraeth purely and simply, by staff and 
bastion, as use is, to resign, surrender, overgive, and deliver, likeas 
we, by these presents, Resign, surrender, overgive, and deliver, all 
and haill the fors’d heretable Jurisdiction, and office of Balliarie of 
the Regality of Spynie, with the haill pertinents, priviledges, and 
immunities thereto belonging, Together with all right, title, in¬ 
terest, claim of right, property, and possession, as well petitor as 
possessor, which we, our predecessors, or authors, heirs, and suffers 
had, have, or anywayes may have, claim, or pretend thereto, in 
the hands of our immediat lawful superiors, or their commissioners, 
ab. mentioned, In favours, and for new Infeftment and Investiture, 
to be made, given, and granted to the said Mr. Archibald Dunbar, 
and his fors’ds, heretably and irredeemably, in such due and com¬ 
petent form as accords, acts, instruments, and documents, one or 
more, as use bees, to ask and raise, and generally all other things 
to do, use, and exercise as freely in all respects as we might do 
therein ourselves if we were personally present, promising to hold 
firm and stable whatsoever our saids pro’rs lawfully do in the pre¬ 
mises, and whilks Infeftments re’xive above written, likeas now, as 
if the s’ds Infeftments and either of them were already made and 
past, and then, as now, We, by these presents, bind and oblige us, 
and our for’sds, to warrand, acquitt, and defend to the said Mr. 
Archibald Dunbar, and his fors’ds, from all alienations, and others 
grounds of eviction, and from all and sundry perills, dangers, and 
inconveniences, as well not named, as named, that may stop, hin¬ 
der, or impede the said Mr. Archibald Dunbar, and his fors’ds, 



332 


NOTES. 


from the peaceable joycing, brooking, and possessing the said 
Jurisdiction and office of Balliarie at all hands, and agt. all deadly 
as law will; Providing always that if any action of eviction be in¬ 
tended, that the said Mr. Archibald Dunbar and his fors’ds make 
lawfull intimation to us and our fors’ds thereof, att least before 
litis contestation be made in the cause, to the effect we may com¬ 
pear, concurr, and defend, and make the writes and evidents of 
the Jurisdiction now disponed by us to the sd. Mr. Archibald 
Dunbar, forthcoming to him and his fors’ds for that effect, and for 
obtaining the better and more ready access to such of the writes 
and evidents of the fors’d Jurisdiction as are not in our custody, 
We hereby assign to the said Mr. Archibald Dunbar, and his fors’ds, 
all processes raised, or to be raised, at our instance, thereanent, 
with all power to him and his fors’ds to pursue and insist therein, 
in his own name or ours, as he shall think fitt; and the said Mr. 
Archibald Dunbar and his fors’ds, their entry to the fors’d Juris¬ 
diction and office of Balliarie is hereby declared to be and begin 
immediately from and after the date of thir presents, and there¬ 
after continue in all time coming, with full power to the said Mr. 
Archibald Dunbar and his fors’ds to appoint Deputes and other 
. Members of Court in the said Jurisdiction, and to intromitt with, 
uplift, and receive all emoluments and oyr casualitys ariseing there¬ 
from, and to do what else we as proprietor might have done there¬ 
in ourselves att any time before the granting of thir presents; and 
for the more security, We consent to the Registration hereof in the 
Books of Councill and Session, or others competent, that letters of 
horning, and all oyr exc’ns needful, may pass hereon, all as effeirs; 

and to that effect we constitute.our 

pro’rs. Atour to that effect, the said Mr. Archibald Dunbar and 
his fors’ds may be immediately infeft, vest, and seased in the fors’d 
Jurisdiction holden of us, and be constitute and ordained, and by 

thir presents make, constitute, and ordain. 

and ilk ane of them, con’llie and severally, our Bailies in that part, 
requiring that this our precept seen they pass to the ground of the 
said Jurisdiction of the Regality of Spynie, and there and then 
give herR state and seasine, actuall, reall, and corporall possession 
of the said Jurisdiction, by tradition to them, or their certain 
attorney in their name, bearers hereof, of earth and stone, or any 



REGALITY OF SPYNIE. 


333 


other symbol used and wont in siclike cases, of the ground of the 
said Jurisdiction, as use is, and this in nowayes ye leave undone • 
The whilk to do we commit to you, and ilk ane of you, con’llie and 
sea’llie, our full, free, plain power, express bidding, mandate, and 
charge by this our precept. In witness whereof we have sub¬ 
scribed this and the five preceding pages, written on stamped 
paper by Walter Hamilton, our servant, att DufFus, the twenty- 
third day of August, one thousand seven hundred and twenty- 
three years, before these witnesses—Mr. Archibald Dunbar, 
Younger of Thundertoun, and the said Walter Hamilton, witnesses 
also to the marginal note on this page. 

(Signed) GORDON. 

(Signed) Archibald Dunbar, Witness. 

Wal. Hamilton, Witnes. 

30th August, 1723, about twelve o’clock forenoon, Sir Thomas 
Calder of Muirtoun, as Baillie ffor His Grace the D. of Gordon, 
gave seasine to Thundertoon, before wittnesses—Mr. John Dunbar 
of Burgie; Wm. King of Newmiln; James Wiseman and George 
Cumming, Writters in Elgin; William Sutherland of Tomshill, 
Mert. in Elgin; and Alexr. Grant, Servitor to the sd. George 
Cuming. 


Account—Thundertoun to Alexr. Smith * 
Writer in Elgin. 

To passing and extending your seasine upon the Juris- Scots Money. 

diction of the Regality of Spynie, . . . <£6 00 00 

To a sheet stamped parchment for writting the seasine on, 1 11 00 
To registration yrof, . . . • • • . 4 12 00 

To my servan’s Drinkmoney for writting, . . . 0 18 00 


£13 01 00 


* Alexander Smith was Town-Clerk of Elgin in the early part of last century. 
He was a person of very convivial habits, of whom many anecdotes are preserved, 
and it is to be supposed there was a hard drink on the occasion of passing Thunder- 
ton’s infeftment in the Regality of Spynie. 





334 


NOTES. 


3. We have mentioned before that when the 
family of Innes of Leuchars were Bailies of the 
Begality of Spynie, a Baron Bailie Book was kept, 
which gives a very curious and interesting account 
of how justice was administered in these semi-bar¬ 
barous times. The sentence was generally either 
acquittal or death, which latter was the punishment 
for the most trivial crimes. We have only room for 
two extracts, one of acquittal and the other of death. 
The sentence was immediately executed in all cases, 
no time being allowed to the poor criminal to make 
his peace with his Maker. 

Miscellany of 
Spalding Club, 
vol. 2, p. 119. 


The said day, Alexander Man enterit in pannell, and being accusit 
for the alledgit cruell slauchter and murthour of umquhile Johnne 
Cuming, in Pittendreiche, committit and done be him in the 
moneth of November last by past, or thereby, refusit the samen, 
and offerit him to the tryell of ane assyse thereof; and the assyse 
eftermentionat being lauchtfullie summondit to that effect, and 
present in judgment, comperit Archimbald Douglas, partie perse- 
war in the actioun within uretin, and allegit that the assyse efter¬ 
mentionat was not lauchfullie summonit, becaus he, being pertie 
persewar, and having craiffit lang of before the bailye forsaid to 
put the said Alexander Man to ane assyse for the alledgit slauchter 
of the said John Cuming, his servitour, alledgit that the sum- 
mondis suld haue beine directit to him, and at his instance, as 
partie pursewar, to the effect he micht haue caus’it ane official’ of 
the said regalitie summond ane unsuspect assyse, according to the 
practic and forme usit be the justice in criminale caussis, qulia 


The Court of the Lordship and Regalitie of Spynie, haldin 
within the Chepdour of the Cathedrale Kirk of Murraye, 
be John Innes of Leuchouris, bailye therof, the tuentie 
day of Januar, the yeir of God Jmvc fourscore twelf 
yeirs, the suittis callit, the Court lauchfullie fensit and 
affirmit, as use is— 


REGALITY OF SPYNIE. 


335 


giffis the summondis to the partie pursewar and to na uther, sua 
that the assyse summonit to this day, being summonit by the 
knawledge of the said Archinbald, partie persewar, can be na lauch- 
ful assyse, and thairfor yit, as if befor, desyris ane precept to be 
direct at his instance, as parte persewar, to summond ane assyse. 
To the quhilk it is answerit be the said John Innes of Leuchouris, 
bailye forsaid, that he haiffing alredy detenit the said Alexander 
Man in his keping in formance be the space of nyne houkis, or 
thairby, for art and parte of the alledgit slauchter forsaid, and 
knawing of ne pertie persewar, causit be his officiar and precept 
summond ane condigne number of assyse of the four halfis about 

-Quha being callit upone the thretten day of this instant, 

at the desire of Hew Douglas and Tiberius Vinchester, Servitour 
to the said Archinbald Douglas of Pettendreiche, alledging his 
command, desyrit continuation of this matter to the tuentie of 
this instant, quhilk the judge grantit. Ex adverso, comperit the 
said Archinbald Douglas of Pettendreiche, and denyit mandat, 
command, or procuratorie, giffin be him to that effect nor know¬ 
ledge of the mater, as than, and sua yit as if befor, desyris ane 
summondis at his awin instance to summond ane unsuspect assyse, 
as likevais alledgis that the judge can nocht pretend ignorance 
but he vas partie persewar, for in presens of my Lord of Spyne 
and divers gentellmen he crawit Alexander Man to be put to the 
tryell of ane assyse, for the cause forsaid. It is alledgit be 
Thomas Hepburne, prolocutour for the said Alexander Man, that 
the continuatioun being accordit to the said Archinbaldis servi- 
touris, and the samin cumand to his knawledge upon the said 
thretten day of this instant, quhilk the said Archinbald confessit 
that it came to his knawledge, but nathing of the names of the 
assyse. In respect of quhais confession, the judge remittit the 
said Alexander to the knawledge of the assyse eftermentionat— 

Valter Kinnard of Cubin. 

Thomas Grant in Birney. 

James Innes in Elgyn. 

James Man in Birney. 

Johnne Nauchte in Mostowye. 

Henrye Vinchister in Stotfauld. 

John Gordouns in Mostowye. 



336 


NOTES. 


James Vysman, Elder. 

James Stewart in Balormye. 

Martene Petre in Corsley. 

Henrie Rag in Mostowy. 

John Robertsoun in Kinedvart. 

William Innes in Kinnedwart. 

John Vinchistir thair. 

James Wysman, Younger, thair. 

Quhil assyse passand furth of judgement, and being veill and 
ryplie advysit with the dittay forsaid, eftar thay w T ar admittit and 
sworne, and returnand in judgement, be the mouthe of Walter 
Ivinnard of Cubin, Chancellor of the said assyse, pronuncis the 
said Alexander acquyte of the alledgit slauchter and murther for¬ 
said, quharupone dome was giffin. Quharupone the said Alexan¬ 
der requerit rolment of Court, and ane absolvitour to be giffin to 
him in forme of testimonial, quhilk the judge admittit; quhar¬ 
upone he tuik act, and the said Archinbald Douglas of Pettin- 
dreiche protestit that the dome forsaid suld be nul, in respect 
that the alledgit deid forsaid is ane foul murthour, committit 
under clud of nycht, and consequentle ane causs of tressone, upon 
the quhilk na judge may sit without ane commissioun, except the 
Justice, and thairfor protestit in manner forsaid, quharupone he 
tuik act. 


The Court of the Lordship and Regalitie of Spynie, haldin 
upon the Yatersyd of Lossie, besyd Bischopmiln, be ane 
honorable man, John Innes of Leuchouris, bailye princi¬ 
pal thairof, the twelf day of May, 1601 yeiris, the suittis 
callit, the Court lauchfullie fensit and affirmit, as use is. 


Intrant in Pannell , William Chayne. 

William Chayne, thow art indy tit and accusit, on thy lyf, for 
the cuming, under silence of nycht, to Androw Branderis hous, in 
Langhill of Meftis, and thair brak up ane kist of Johne James, 
and efter the breking of the said kist, thifteouslie staw, and away 


REGALITY OF SPYNIE. 


337 


tuik threttie schillings silver, with ten quarteris quhyt clayth, 
quhilk thow can nocht deny. 

Item, For the cuming to James Wyssmanis, elderis hous, in 
Kynnedour, upone Setterday last, and thair, under silence of nycht ? 
at xii houris at midnycht, and thair shoite the said James hall 
dure, and thairout thifteouslie stae twa gray pladdis, twa coittis, 
twa pair of brekis, ane pair of schort hoise, ane pair of schene, 
with twa beltis and durkis, quhilk thow lies instantlie in thy pos- 
sessioun, quhilk thow can nocht deny. 

Item, For the thifteous steling furth of Stotfauld, fra James 
Robertsone thairof, ane scheip, for quhilk thow vas attachot and 
convict, and, in houp of amendament, put to libertie, and for sa- 
tisfactioun of the deed thow gaif thy plaid. 

Item, For the cuming to Bischopmiln, upone Fry day last, at 
midnycht, and thair thifteouslie stae away the twa pikis of the 
miln, quhilk thow can nocht deny. 

Item, For the thifteous cuming to James Cumingis hous, in 
Aberlinkvod, and thifteous steling furth thairof of twa scheittis, 
quhilk thow can nocht deny. 

Item, For ane commoun theife and vagaband. 

The dittae above vrettin being red, confessit the samin, and 
offerit himself to the tryell of ane assyse. 


Nomina Assises. 

Alexander Cuming in Kinnedour. 
Alexander Stronocht in Ardewat. 
John Vinchister. 

James Wysman, Younger. 

Richert Vysman. 

Alexander Russell. 

Walter Russell. 

John Russell in Newtoun. 

Thomas Grant in Hilltoun. 

Thomas Hepburn. 

Alexander Alwes in Ardewat. 
William Farquhar in Bimay. 
James Man thair. 


V 


338 


NOTES. 


William Man thair. 

Alexander Thome in Quhytley. 

Quhilk assyse being admittit and sworne, and passand furth of 
judgment, and being advysit with the dittae forsaid, and returnand 
againe in judgment, be the mouthe of Alexander Cumin, Chan¬ 
cellor of the said assyse, convictis the said William in the pointis 
of dittay forsaid. 

The judge ordainis the said William Chayne to be had to the 
gallous, and thair to be hangit quhill he be deid, quharupone 
dome was giffin. 


PARISH CHURCH OF SPYNIE. 


339 


XIV.—PARISH CHURCH OF SPYNIE. 


The Parish Ministers of Spynie, as given in the edi¬ 
tion of Shaw’s History of Moray, published in 1827, 
are as follows :— 

James Philip, Exhorter in 1570. 

Alexander Ralphson, Minister in 1579, and in 1603. 

Alexander Watson, Minister in 1614. 

Thomas Craig,* Minister in 1624; died in 1639. 

Robert Innes, from Ogston, admitted 28th September, 1640; 
translated to St. Andrew’s, 1646. 

William Cloggie, admitted 21st January, 1647; died Decem¬ 
ber, 1659. 

Samuel Tulloch, ordained 27th June, 1660; died in Novem¬ 
ber, 1706. 

Robert Bates, ordained 6th September, 1707; died in Octo¬ 
ber, 1719. 

William Dougal, t from Birnie, admitted March 7th, 1721 ; 
died 12th October, 1766. 

Robert Paterson, admitted 18th June, 1767 ; died 31st July, 
1790. 

Alexander Brown, admitted 12th September, 1793; died 8th 
January, 1814. 


* Thomas Craig came from the South of Scotland, and was the progenitor of many 
families of that name resident in Elgin and the neighbourhood. 

t Mr. Dougal is said to have come from the North of Ireland. He was the father 
of two well-known physicians—Dr. Dougal of Keith, and Dr. Dougal of Elgin, of 
whom many anecdotes still exist. They were a worthy, respectable family, now 
extinct. 

v 2 


340 


NOTES. 


George Machardy, admitted 22d September, 1814; died Sep¬ 
tember 15, 1817. 

Thomas Cannan, admitted 17th September, 1818; translated 
to Carsephairn, 7th Septembter, 1826.* 

Alexander Simpson, ordained and admitted 2d November, 
1826 ; died 9th January, 1852. 

John Kyd, P.D., ordained and admittted 9th September, 1852. 

The Rev. Dr. Scott of Anstruther Wester, in his 
Fasti Scoticanae Ecclesiae, gives a slightly different 
version of the ministers of this parish. His work, so 
far as the Synod of Moray is concerned, has not yet 
been published,t but he has very kindly sent me 
an abstract of the list prepared by him, which is 
probably fully as accurate as the preceding, and I 
subjoin it— 

1574— Andrew Young, to 1576. 

1579— Alexander Ranson, to 1621, or 1622. 

1614— Alexander Watson (says Shaw), I think a 
misnomer. 

1624— Thomas Craig, to 1639. 

1640— Robert Innes, to 1646. 

1647— William Cloggie, to 1659. 

1660— Samuel Tullooh, to 1706. 

1707— Robert Bates, to 1719. 

1721— William Dougal, to 1766. 

1767— Robert Paterson, to 1790. 

1793— Alexander Brown, to 1814. 

1814— George Machardy, to 1817. 

1818— Thomas Cannan, to 1826. 

1826 —Alexander Simpson, to 1852. 

1852 —John Kyd. 


* See Note next page. 

t Since writing this, Dr. Scott’s work has been published. 



PARISH CHURCH OF SPYNIE. 


341 


Note.— Mr. Cannan was a clear, distinct preacher, and had a re¬ 
markably pleasant, silvery voice. After the lapse of fifty years, I 
have a distinct recollection of his preaching—particularly of three 
sermons delivered in the Parish Church of Elgin, from the following 
texts :—Jeremiah, viii. 20—“ The harvest is past, the summer is 
ended, and we are not saved.” The same chapter, 22d verse— 
“ Is there no balm in Gilead, is there no physician there ?” Isaiah, 
xxxv. 1—“ The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for 
them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.” He 
was a delicate man, and did not live long after being translated to 
Carsephairn, having died the 19th December, 1832, in his forty- 
second year. It is stated that he regretted leaving Spynie, and 
that the colder climate of Galloway did not suit his weakly con¬ 
stitution. 


342 


XV.—VALUATION OF LANDS IN THE 
PARISH OF SPYNIE, 1667. 


Sheriffmiln, 
Myreside, . 
Finrassie, . 
Spynie, . 
Inchbrock, 
Morristoun, 
Kintrea, 
Quarrellwood, 
Westfield, . 
Bishopmiln, 
Auldrochtie, 
Borrowbriggs, 


RENT. 

SCOTS MONEY. 

. £163 15 4 
199 16 2 

327 5 2 

286 11 8 
51 3 10 

97 9 4 
473 4 6 

582 7 10 

437 12 4 
265 4 8 

87 15 0 
82 7 10 


£3054 13 8 










343 


Valuation of the Parish of Spynie in 1744, with 

Proprietors' Names. 

RENT. 

SCOTS MONEY. 


Leggat, . 

The Duke of Gordon, . 

. £278 

4 

2 

Part of Kintrae, 

The Duke of Gordon, . 

. 251 

17 

6 

Quarrywood, . 

Lord Braco, . 

. 304 

3 

8 

Part of Kintrae, 

Lord Braco, . 

. 63 

12 

8 

Sheriffmiln, 

Lord Braco, . 

. 163 

15 

4 

Auldrochty, 

Lord Braco, . 

GO 

• 

15 

0 

Westfield, 

Sir Wm. Dunbar, . 

. 437 

12 

4 

Inchbrock, 

Sir Wm. Dunbar, . 

. 51 

3 

10 

Bishopmiln, 

John Dunbar of Burgie, 

. 265 

4 

8 

Spynie, . 

James Brodie, 

. 286 

11 

8 

Myreside, 

Laurence Sutherland, 

. 199 

16 

2 

Borrowbriggs, . 

Laurence Sutherland, 

. 82 

7 

10 

Findrassie, 

Alexander Leslie, 

. 327 

5 

2 

Bosehaugh, Kintrae, 

Robert Grant, 

. 157 

14 

4 

Morristoun, 

Robert Martin’s Heirs, . 

. 97 

9 

4 



£3054 

13 

8 








344 


VALUATION OF THE 


From Valuation Roll of the County of 


Description of Subject. 

Proprietor, including Lessees of Lands 
and Heritages of more than twenty-one 
and of Minerals of more than thirty-one 
years. 

Woods in Spynie Parish, 

Trustees of the Earl of Fife, 

Bridge and Machinery connected with 

do. 

do. 

drainage works of Loch Spynie, 



Rents under £4, ..... 

do. 

do. 

Rosebrae Quarry, ..... 

do. 

do. 

Farm of Spynie, ..... 

do. 

do. 

Shootings of Spynie Farm, . 

do. 

do. 

Farm of Rosehaugh, .... 

do. 

do. 

Croft of Knock, ..... 

do. 

do. 

Croft at Loanhead, .... 

do. 

do. 

Shootings at Rosehaugh, 

do. 

do. 

Farm of Rosebrae, .... 

do. 

do. 

Farm of Kintrae, .... 

do. 

do. 

Farm of Laverock Loch, 

do. 

do. 

Farm of Sheriffmill, .... 

do. 

do. 

Part of Farm of Morriston, . 

do. 

do. 

Meal Mill, and Sheriffmill, and Scroggie- 

do. 

do. 

mill, ...... 



Shootings of Quarrywood, &c., 

do. 

do. 

Farm of Aldroughty, .... 

do. 

do. 

Croft at Rosehaugh, .... 

do. 

do. 

Farm of Kintrae, .... 

do. 

do. 

Farm of Quarrywood and Loanhead, 

do. 

do. 

Croft at Rosehaugh, .... 

do. 

do. 

Do. .... 

do. 

do. 

Farm of Kintrae, .... 

do. 

do. 

Dwelling-House, Home Farm, Orchard- 

Hugh Maclean, Esq. of Westfield, 

field, Farm, and Offices, with Shoot- 



ings of Westfield, .... 



Woods of Westfield, .... 

do. 

do. 

Farm of Surradale, .... 

do. 

do. 

Woods,. 

Trustees of the 

late James 0. 


Tod, Esq., 

• • • • 














345 


PARISH OF SPYNIE. 


Elgin , for the year 1870-71. 


Tenant and Occupier. 

Yearly Rent 
or Value. 

Said Trustees of Lord Fife, ...... 

£35 0 0 

do do. . 

9 5 0 

Various, .......... 

6 5 0 

Representatives of Eric Anderson, Oakbank, Bishopmill, . 

50 0 0 

John A. Cooper, Spynie, . ...... 

566 0 0 

do. do. ....... 

6 0 0 

John Cruickshank, Rosehaugh, ...... 

281 0 0 

do. do. ...... 

18 0 0 

James Duncan, Loanhead, ...... 

5 0 0 

J. Lyon-Fraser, Esq., Elgin, ... ... 

7 0 0 

Eric Gilzean, Rosebrae, ....... 

336 0 0 

Mrs. Gilzean, Kintrae, ....... 

118 0 0 

Alex. Lawson, Braelossie, ....... 

34 0 0 

do. do. ....... 

91 0 0 

do. do. ....... 

90 0 0 

do. do. ....... 

83 0 0 

do. do. . ..... 

7 10 0 

George Leslie, Sheriff-Clerk, Elgin, ..... 

154 0 0 

George M‘Intosh, Rosehaugh,. 

12 0 0 

Alex. Petrie, Kintrae, ....... 

130 0 0 

John Reid, Loanhead,. 

169 0 0 

Widow Ross, Rosehaugh, ....... 

4 0 0 

John Tulloch, do. ....... 

8 10 0 

William Walker, Kintrae,. 

355 0 0 

Said Hugh Maclean, ... .... 

640 0 0 

• 

• 

• 

6 

d 

5 0 0 

Representatives of James Robb, Surradale, 

500 0 0 

Said Trustees, 

16 0 0 

Carried over, .... 

£3736 10 0 






















346 


VALUATION OF THE 


Description of Subject. 

Proprietor, including Lessees of Lands 
and Heritages of more than twenty-one, 
and of Minerals of more than thirty-one 
years. 

Bridge and Machinery connected with 
drainage works of Loch Spynie, 

Part of Farm of Mains, 

Home Farm of Findrassie, . 

Farm of Eastertown and Midtown, 

Farm of Westertown of Findrassie, 
Forester’s Lodge, ..... 

Bridge and Machinery connected with 
drainage works of Loch Spynie, 
Woods, ....... 

Rents under £4, ..... 

Bishopmill Stone Quarry, Western Divi¬ 
sion, ...... 

Croft, Moor of Myreside, 

Bishopmill Stone Quarry and Land, 

Part of Farm of Newfield, . 

Land at Bishopmill, .... 

Part of Farm of Newfield, . 

Part of Farm of Newfield, 

Land at Bishopmill, .... 

Part of Farm of Newfield, . 

Land at Bishopmill, .... 

Farm of Lochside, .... 

Part of Farm of Deanscrook, 

Farm of Myreside, and part of Newfield, 
Woodlands of Bishopmill, and part of 
Newfield, ..... 

Mansion-House, Garden, and Offices of 
Findrassie, ..... 

Policy Parks of Findrassie, . 

House, Garden, &c., Oakbank, 

House and Garden, Bishopmill, . 

Trustees of the late J. 0. Tod, 
Esq., 

do. do. 

do. do. 

do. do. 

do. do. 

do. do. 

The Right Hon. the Earl of Sea- 

field, . 

do. do. 

do. do. 

do. do. 

do, do. 

do. do. 

do. do. 

do. do. 

do. do. 

do. do. 

do. do. 

do. do. 

do. do. 

Representatives of John Priest, 

Lochside, .... 

The Right Hon. the Earl of Sea- 
field, ...... 

do. do. 

James Smith, Bishopmill, . 

Mrs. Helen Tod or Forster, Fin¬ 
drassie, . 

do. do. 

Representatives of Eric Anderson, 
Oakbank, .... 

Beatrice Falconer, 








347 


PARISH OF SPYNIE— (Continued). 


Tenant and Occupier. 

Yearly Rent 
or Value. 

Brought over, .... 

£3736 10 0 

Said Trustees, ......... 

3 17 0 

John Brown, ......... 

341 2 0 

Donald Fraser, ......... 

93 0 0 

William Grigor, Midtown, ....... 

243 12 0 

James Robb, Westertown, ....... 

93 10 0 

William White, Forester, Findrassie, .... 

2 0 0 

Said Earl of Seafield, ....... 

6 0 0 

do. do. ....... 

4 10 0 

Various, .......... 

8 17 0 

Unlet, .......... 

15 0 0 

Mrs. Janet Adam, ........ 

31 0 0 

Representatives of Eric Anderson, Oakbank, Bishopmill, . 

37 10 0 

W. Bannerman, ......... 

21 0 0 

Widow Barron, Bishopmill,. 

6 15 0 

W. Culbard, ......... 

46 19 0 

P. MacBey, ......... 

10 0 0 

J. Mackenzie, ......... 

6 17 0 

Wm. Morrison, ......... 

12 0 0 

James Murray, .. 

26 8 0 

Said Representatives of John Priest, ..... 

72 17 0 

John Robertson, ........ 

11 0 0 

Mrs. Russell, Myreside, ....... 

289 3 0 

Said James Smith, ........ 

91 0 0 

Said Mrs. Helen Tod or Forster,. 

60 0 0 

Donald Fraser,. 

30 0 0 

Said Representatives,. 

18 0 0 

Miss Falconer,. 

6 0 0 

Carried over, .... 

£5124 7 0 





















348 


VALUATION OF THE 


Description of Subject. 

Proprietor, including Lessees of Lands 
and Heritages of more than twenty-one, 
and of Minerals of more than thirty-one 
years. 

House and Garden, Bishopmill, . 

Do. do. 

Do. do. 

Manse and Glebe of New-Spynie, 

House and Garden, Bishopmill, . 

Do. do. 

Machinery of Meal Mill of Scroggiemill, 
Machinery of Bone Mill of Sheriffmill, 
House and Garden, Bishopmill, . 
House, Garden, and Workshop at New¬ 
ton Road, ..... 

House and Garden, Bishopmill, . 
House, Garden, and Workshop at New¬ 
ton Road, ..... 

House and Garden, Bishopmill, . 

Do. do. 

Tileworks at Lochside, .... 
House and Garden, Bishopmill, 

House and Garden, New-Spynie, . 

Buildings and Reservoir at Bishopmill, 
Buildings of Poor-House, with Gover¬ 
nor’s House, Office, Lodge, <fcc., 
Croft, Easter Starmoss, 

William Fraser, .... 
Heirs of John Innes, Bishopmill, 
do. do. 

Rev. John Kyd of New-Spynie, 
do. for G. A. School, 

do. for School Com¬ 

missioners, .... 
Alex. Lawson, Braelossie, . 

do. do. 

Charles Macdonald, Mason, 

James M c Gillivray, Blacksmith 
there, ..... 
George Melvin, .... 
Wm. Munro, Carpenter, Newton, 

Wm. Morrison, Bishopmill, , 

Peter Noble, Grieve, Kintrae, 

Wm. Priest & Co., Lochside, 

John Sutherland, Leith, 

John Thomson, Parochial Teacher, 
New-Spynie, 

Elgin Water Company, 

The Directors of the Elgin Com¬ 
bination Poor-House, . 

Sir A. Dunbar, .... 


ABSTKACT. 

Amount of Landward part of Parish, as above, 
Amount of Burgh part of Parish, 


. £5412 6 0 
. 1897 16 0 


£7310 2 0 











349 


PARISH OF SPYNIE— (Continued). 


Tenant and Occupier. 

Yearly Rent 
or Value. 

Brought over, .... 

£5124 7 0 

Said Wm. Fraser,. 

8 0 0 

Mrs. Innes, ......... 

7 0 0 

James Harry wood, Bishopmill,. 

7 0 0 

Said Rev. J. Kyd—Manse, £20 ; Glebe, £10, . 

30 0 0 

Robert Barron,.. . 

4 0 0 

William Duncan,. 

4 0 0 

Said Alex. Lawson,. 

12 0 0 

do. do... . 

3 0 0 

Said Charles Macdonald, ....... 

7 10 0 

Said James M‘Gillivray,. 

3 0 0 

James Young, Mason,. 

7 10 0 

Said Wm. Munro,. 

4 0 0 

Said Wm. Morrison,. 

10 10 0 

Said Peter Noble, . . ...... 

7 10 0 

Said Wm. Priest & Co., ....... 

20 0 0 

Charles Symon, .. 

10 0 0 

Said John Thomson,. 

10 0 0 

Said Water Company, ....... 

7 19 0 

Said Directors, ......... 

120 0 0 

William Rhind, Starmoss, ....... 

5 0 0 

Amount of Landward part of Parish, 

£5412 6 0 


Note. —The Burghal part of the Parish is too long for inser¬ 
tion, as it contains the names of the householders, and it suffi¬ 
ciently answers the purpose in view to state the gross amount. 
















350 


NOTES. 


XVI.—SPYNIE BURIAL GROUND. 

The old Churchyard of the Parish is a pleasant, 
sunny spot; has a beautiful situation, lying on the 
southern slope of the hill, and commanding a fine 
view of the surrounding country. It is well enclosed 
with a substantial stone wall, and there are some 
thriving trees about it; but in the interior it is sadly 
neglected, and the ground is covered with nettles 
and other noxious weeds, with quantities of rubbish 
lying about, probably the remains of the old Parish 
Church, the last remnant of which only fell about 
twenty years ago. At a trifling expense the place 
could be cleaned up, a few walks made, and the 
grass kept well trimmed and neat. The most of our 
country churchyards in Scotland are no better, and 
that it should be so is a reflection on the national 
character. There were several Bishops of the Diocese 
interred here, and perhaps by digging about the site 
of the old church their monuments might still be 
found among the rubbish. The other monumental 
tablets are not of great age, nor of any very great 
interest; but it may be proper to notice a few of 
them, as throwing some light on parochial history. 
None of the old landed families of the parish appear 
to have had their burial place here. The Leslies of 
Findrassie had for a long time their place of inter- 



SPYNIE BURIAL GROUND. 


351 


ment in the North Aisle of St. Giles’ Church in 
Elgin, and only used the Churchyard of Spynie 
latterly. Their tomb is in a very neglected state; 
but the monumental tablets on the walls are still 
entire and legible; some of them on the floor are 
much covered with dust and earth, and illegible. 


Leslies of Findrassie. 

Hie dormiunt in Christo, Duae Nobiles Robertus Leslie, 
Dominus de Findresy, ejusque conjunx Joneta Elphinstone, ille 
obiit 22nd Sept., anno 1588. Ilia M. R. 0. 

Grip Fast—Disce mori—Causa causit. 

Robertus Leslie, Comitis, qui filius olim, 

Rothusiae fuerat simul, et suavissima conjunx 
Elphinstonii soboles herois, conduntur in antro, 

Hoc licet obscuro celebres pietate supersunt; 

Hos quondam binos Hymenaeus junxit in unum 
Corpus, et his vivis semper una voluntas, 

Unus amor, domus una fuit, nunc lumine lasso, 

Una duos iterum condit libitina sepultos. 


“Sup Spe.” 

Here lyes the bodie of Mistress Isabella Leslie, Ladye Burgie, 
who departed this life the 10th of Januarie, 1688. 

Note.— She was the second wife of Robert Dunbar of Burgie, who died in 1690, 
and the second daughter of Robert Leslie, third Laird of Findrassie, by his wife, 
Isabel Forbes, daughter of Abraham Forbes of Blackton. 


Here lyes the bodie of Mistress Margaret Ayton, Lady Bishop, 
miln, who departed this lyfe the ninth day of September, 1714, 
aged 56 years. 

Note.— She was wife of Alexander Dunbar of Bishopmill, and connected with 
the Leslies through her husband. 






352 


NOTES. 


Here lyes Abraham Leslie, Esquire of Findrassie, who was 
heir-male of George 4th Earl of Rothes, his Lordship being father 
of Robert Leslie, the first of the family of Findrassie. He died 
at Findrassie House, 26th May, 1793; and to the memory of an 
affectionate husband this monument is erected by Mrs. Jean 
Leslie, his widow. 


This stone is erected by Charles Leslie, in memory of his 
mother, Margaret Gordon, lawful eldest daughter of Charles 
Gordon of Glengerrack, and relict of John Leslie of Findrassie, 
who died 26th December, 1764, aged 67, a lady who was esteemed 
in life, diligent and active in her friendship, generous and disin¬ 
terested, a tender and affectionate parent, benevolent and liberal 
to all, and at death a pattern of patience, fortitude, and resigna¬ 
tion ; and her children, Margaret, who died in the 7th year of her 
age ; and Margaret, who died the 5th year of her age; and Jean, 
who died also in the 5th year of her age; James, who died in 
non-age. Also in memory of the above Charles Leslie, and his 
spouse, Margaret Macandrew. 


Erected by Charles Leslie, Esquire, in token of respect to the 
memory of Margaret Macandrew, his spouse, who died 11th July, 
1796, aged 79, a woman of solid sense, simple manners, sincere 
piety, and virtuous conduct. 

“ Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” 


On a flat stone in the Findrassie Tomb is the fol¬ 
lowing inscription:— 

Here lyes Mrs. Margaret Leslie, aunt of Sir John Leslie of 
Findrassie and Wardes, Baronet. She departed this life at Fin¬ 
drassie House, on the 13th of May, 1811, aged 86; and this 
monument is placed here to her respected memory by direction of 
her Nephew. 






SPYNIE BURIAL GROUND. 


353 


In an old tomb, at the east end of the church¬ 
yard, are the following inscriptions :— 

Hie jacet in spem beatse resurrectionis, vir vere pius et probus 
R.D.M. Samuel Tulloh, Spyniensis Ecclesise, vigilantissimus quon¬ 
dam pastor; qui placidissime in Christo, obiit II. die Nov'bris, 
circiter hor. 12 merid, ann. Dom. mdccvi., set lxxv., et officii ibid 
fideliter administrati xlvi., nee non pia et pudica Elizabetha 
Gordon, unica ejusd. conjunx chariss. cum tribus eorund. filiabus 
virginibus Agneta, Marjoria, et Joanna. 

In quorum omnium piam gratam memoriam, liocce monumentum 
ab ipso prsestruct. memoralia ut e hac inscriptione denique exarand. 
ejusdem, et monument circumdat extruend, curavit Alexr. Tulloh 
predict. Samuel et Elizab. filius unicus. 


In spe beatse resurrectionis, hie deposuit Reverendus vir, Pres¬ 
byter pius, probus Magister Robertus Tulloh, qui ut pie vixit, 
decessit 13 Novembris anno 1720, ut et Anna Tulloh, uxor ejus 
charissima, quse animam deo reddidit 20 Julii, 1715, et eorum filii 
Alexr. Tulloh, qui obiit Januarii 18, ann. 1731, et Thomas, qui 
obiit 24 Junii, anno 1715. 

Sand Glass. Cross Bones. Death's Head. 


Sacred to the memory of the Rev. Alexander Brown, late 
Minister of Spynie, who died on the 8th January, 1814, in the 
53d year of his age, and 21st of his ministry. Also of Isabella 
Ord, his spouse, who died on the 11th of August, 1834, aged 70 
years; and of Williamina, their infant daughter, who died on the 
4th Deer., 1807, in the 3d year of her age. 


To the memory of the Rev. George Machardy, Minister of 
the Gospel at New Spynie, who died 15th Septr., 1817, aged 42. 
This stone is erected by his affectionate Widow, Margaret Smith. 


W 







354 


NOTES. 


SACRED 

TO THE MEMORY OF 

WILLIAM TURNBULL, Esq., 

LATE SURGEON IN THE H. E. I. COMPANY’S SERVICE, 

Who Died at Aldroughty the 8th of April, 1864, 

Aged 71. 

The above tomb has upon it the following mottoes :—On the 
south side—“ Death Pursueth on the west side—“ Time 
Fleeth f on the north side—“ Conquer Eternity f and on the east 
side—“ Mynd Mortality,” with the usual emblems, viz. :—Skeleton, 
Bell, Coffin, Sand Glass, Knife in Hand, Crown, Skull, and Cross 
Bones. 


On a tomb, with a handsome railing, about the 
centre of the churchyard, are the following inscrip¬ 
tions :— 

1. On a flat stone on the floor of the tomb—Hie requiescunt 
reliquse pise castseque Katharine King, uxoris Mri. Gulielmi 
Dougall, ecclesise Spyniensis Novae pastoris, quae obiit 26 Septem- 
bris, anno Domini mdccliv., aetatis suae lxv. Atque eorum filia 
Elizabetha, quae obiit Martie xm., mdccxxvi. aetatis suae mense xvi. 
Ipse autem obiit Octobris die xii., mdcclxvi., aetatis suae anno 

LXXXIII. 


On five monumental tablets, upon the wall— 

Heu ! quanto minus est eum reliquis 
Versari, quam vestrum meminisse. 

Within this tomb lie interred the remains of the late Reverend 
Mr. Robert Paterson, who was twenty-two years Minister of this 
Parish, and died upon the 31st July, 1790, in the 56th year of 
his age. He was eminent for the faithful discharge of his pas¬ 
toral office, and as a husband and father he was nearly as perfect 
as human nature will admit. 

Here also lie the remains of Alexander Paterson, his third 
son, wdio survived his father only nine months, having died upon 






SPYNIE BURIAL GROUND. 


355 


the 13th April, 1791, in the 17th year of his age, after having 
finished his academical studies. He was snatched from this tran¬ 
sitory life, to the inexpressible grief of all his relations. 


Here lie interred the body of Margaret Collie, spouse of Mr. 
Robert Paterson, Minister of New Spynie, and only child of Mr. 
William Collie, late Minister of Drainie, and Margaret Mackenzie, 
his spouse. She was a dutiful wife, an affectionate mother, an 
exemplary Christian. Her soul has been early removed from this 
earth to bear only felicity, and her body rests in hope of the pro¬ 
mised resurrection. This monument is erected to her memory. 
She died July 23, 1782, in the 34th year of her age. 


Consecrated by the Revd. James Paterson, Minister of Birnie, 
to the memory of his brothers—Mr. William Paterson, who died 
5th April, 1829, aged 59; and Doctor Robert Paterson, H.E.I.C.S., 
who, after twenty years’ service in India, and when on the eve of 

returning to his native country, died at Calcutta on the-of 

December, 1829, in the 48th year of his age. Also sacred to the 
memory of the Revd. James Paterson, Minister of Birnie, whose 
benevolent life adorned the doctrines which he taught. Born 13th 
April, 1778 ; died 23d February, 1840. 


In this tomb lie interred the remains of the Revd. John Pater¬ 
son, who was Minister of the Gospel at Auldearn from 1794 till 
1813, when he died in the 41st year of his age, an accomplished 
scholar, and an eloquent preacher. His character was adorned by 
integrity, candour, and benevolence, still more than by those 
attainments. 

Here also, in the grave of her parents, lies his sister, Helen, 
spouse of the Revd. Thomas Macfarlane of Edinkillie, who was 
endeared to her friends by every amiable virtue. She died on the 
7th April, 1810, in the 34tli year of her age. 

This stone is placed by their brother, Dr. Robert Paterson, of 

w 2 






356 


NOTES. 


the Bengal Medical Service, as a memorial of their virtues and of 
his affection. 


The Rev. James Paterson, late Minister of Birnie, removed 
this stone from Drainie in 1839, for preservation, the old church 
being ruinous— 

In this church lie interred Mr. Hugh Anderson, long Minister 
of this place, and Margaret Munro, his spouse; as also Mr. 
William Collie, his immediate successor, and 27 years Minister, 
who died April 29, 1768, in the 73d year of his age; and Mar¬ 
garet Mackenzie, his spouse, who died April 27, 1773. Of these 
valuable persons it may truly be said that they acted in their 
several stations as faithful Ministers of the Gospel, good members 
of society, and upright Christians. 

This monument is erected to their memory by Margaret Collie, 
only child of the two last named, and spouse of Mr. Robert 
Paterson, Minister of New Spynie. 


On a neat upright stone, near the centre of the 
churchyard, is inscribed— 

In memory of John M‘Kimmie, Esquire, late Provost of Elgin ; 
born 4th October, 1789, died 26th February, 1856. 


Near* the above is a flat stone inscribed thus— 

This stone is placed here by Archibald Mellis, Farmer in Kin- 
trae, in memory of his spouse, Ann Falconer, who died 7th De¬ 
cember, 1797, aged 44 years. In memory also of Jane Mellis, 
his eldest daughter, who died 8th August, 1791, aged 17 years; 
also of Alexander and Janet Mellis, his children, who died in 
their nonage. 

Note.— The above stone, I suppose, refers to the mother, brother, and two sisters 
of the late Mr. James Mellis, long tenant of the farm of Spynie. 








SPYNIE BURIAL GROUND. 


357 


In a tomb, towards the east end of the church, is 
a tablet to the memory of the late Reverend Alex¬ 
ander Simpson, Minister of the Parish, and his wife, 
as follows :— 

Sacred to the memory of Elizabeth Patullo, spouse of the 
Revd. Alexander Simpson, Minister of New Spynie, who died on 
the 10th April, 1848, aged 61 years. Also in memory of the 
Revd. Alexander Simpson, who departed this life on the 7th 
January, 1852, aged 65 years, and in the 26th year of his ministry, 
having been ordained Minister of New Spynie in the year 1826. 


The site of the churchyard is well chosen, airy, 
and pleasant, and if we could fancy the River Lossie 
restored to its channel at the foot of the hill, and 
rushing on to join the lake at the east end of the 
palace, it would in many respects realise the descrip¬ 
tion of a resting place for the children of mortality, 
as described by one of the most elegant of our Scot¬ 
tish poets— 

Let vanity adorn the marble tomb 

With trophies, rhymes, and 'scutcheons of renown, 

In the deep dungeon of some Gothic dome, 

Where night and desolation ever frown. 

Mine be the breezy hill that skirts the down, 

Where a green grassy turf is all I crave, 

With here and there a violet bestrewn, 

Fast by a brook, or fountain's murmuring wave, 

And many an evening sun shine sweetly on my grave. 




NOTE. 


I have stated, at page 136, the improbability of there having been any Protestant 
Minister at Spynie prior to the death of Bishop Patrick Hepburn, which happened 
in 1573. On examination of various documents, however, I find there was an Ex- 
horter or Missionary here as early as 1570, at a salary of fifty merks per annum, 
although no regular Parish Minister was settled until 1574. 






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